Trapped by you
by chirlagirl
Summary: AU: Padme is leader of the rebel forces in Naboo. Vader is sent to eliminate her. Can he control his own desires or will he follow through with the Emperors plans?
1. Following Orders

Darth Vader raced on board a speeder through the thick Nubian forest. His orders were clear. Capture and kill Commander Padme Amidala, leader of the rebels on the planet of Naboo. She had been able to throttle many of the Emperors plan to expand his power through out the Galaxy. The Emperor foresaw that her very existence and continued opposition to his forces would one day destroy his Empire. He sent out his apprentice, Darth Vader, to put an end to Amidala and the rebel leaders who followed her once and for all.

Vader had managed to infiltrate the planet and discover the whereabouts of the Commander quite easily. He was strong when it came to manipulating the Force to his will. Acting alone, without the assistance of the Emperors troops and only the Force to guide, helped him much more quickly in his present task at hand.

As he searched for Commander Padme, his investigation led him to a thick forest on the outskirts of the capital city of Naboo. Unfortunately, the forest was filled with rebel troops that detected him as soon as he infiltrated the forest. Several speeders raced after him. Vader was confident enough in his skills to elude them. He was certain now that he would be able to destroy the rebel base easily and with it Commander Padme.

As the speeders raced behind Vader, he easily dispatched several of them, sending them crashing through the forest. Several times the speeders came close to him, but he sliced at them with his light saber. None were able to stop him. He sensed that he was nearing his target. As he raced through the tangle of trees and brushes, rebels from around the forest sprang out and began to shoot at him. He sensed the danger and kept racing past them, sending several rebels crashing against trees by the use of the force. As he concentrated his energies on eluding personal harm to himself, he did not see a lone rebel soldier spring up in his path with a weapon in hand until it was too late. As he prepared to dispose of the soldier, something about the lone figure caught his eye. In that instant, something occurred to Vader that had never happened before of all his years of training as the Emperors apprentice. It only took a moment, a hesitation on his part, and he lost control. The soldier aimed and fired, hitting the speeder. Vaders body was hurled through the air and banged through several branches before he collided on the ground. The force if the impact knocked him unconscious, causing him to black out.

Padme looked over the prisoner that the rebels had captured. Blood tickled down from a wound on his head. By the look of his dark clothing and the ranking upon one arm, Padme was able to decipher that he held great rank among the Emperors troops.

"M'lady," one of the soldiers said, taking hold of their prisoner's weapon. "He seems to have no other weapon than this." He handed over the weapon to her and Padme gasped.

"It's a JedI weapon.," she told them. "A light saber. There's only one person in the Emperors service who is known to carry such a weapon."

Although Padme considered the rebels she served with one of the bravest troops she's ever known, several backed away from the unconscious figure that lay before them. She didn't blame them for backing away. She herself was weary. Darth Vader was said to be one of the most evil beings in the Galaxy, blindly following the Emperors commands. He was his number one assassin who dispatched people without a second thought, never questioning his orders.

"Is this really Darth Vader?" she wondered. Padme took a second look at him. He was younger than she thought him to be. Darth Vader didn't appear to be at all menacing, save for the light red scar he had running down the side of his left eye. Dressed all in black, he appeared almost regal. Padme surmised that he must not be older than twenty five and was quite shocked that someone so young could have become the scourge of every home world in the Galaxy. Some said that he may be far more powerful than the Emperor himself. Padme scoffed. She was now sure that many reports of the dreaded Darth Vader were false or misconstrued. He may be evil, but no one, she was sure, was all powerful. Soon, the Emperor himself would topple down.

Leader of the rebel forces in Naboo, Padme Amidala looked around the troops that stood around, waiting for her orders. They were on the outskirts of the capital, deep inside the forests that lead to the habitat of the Gun Guns, an aquatic race of beings that shared the planet with the human beings of Naboo.

"Take him to the medic techs. Make sure to call Master Yoda and have them secure our prisoner. He may be unconscious, be he can still pose a threat."

As their prisoner was quickly carried away, Captain Typho proceeded to report the capture of the enemy.

"We lost more than ten men just chasing him down this forest, M'lady," Captain Typho informed. "Our speeders were not that quick and he seemed to have uncanny abilities to predict our next moves. Still, for someone who seems to be allusive and all powerful, you were able to stop him."

"I'm not sure if it was my quick aim that actually stopped him, Captain," Padme said, remembering Vader's reaction to her. "He seemed surprised to see me. He was so intent on what he was doing, but when he saw me, one of many rebels in the forest, he hesitated. He could of easily killed me, but he didn't."

"The Emperor must have sent him to destroy us all," Captain Typho said, a bit of unease in his voice.

"He's desperate," Padme said, thinking quickly. "We've been able to make a significant dent in the Emperors power. He knows that he can't keep up the fight with so many worlds breaking away from his Empire. He must have sent Vader as a last desperate attempt to stop us."

"Not us, m'lady," Captain Typho said. "I think he sent Vader out for you."

"What do you mean, Captain?" Padme asked.

"You were able to come up with several military strategies that stopped the Emperors troops dead on their path," the Captain said. "Thanks to you, we've been able to make other alliances and gather forces strong enough to stand up to the Emperor. Even the JedI have hope because of you."

"That only reaffirms my suspicions that the Emperor's power is dwindling," Padme said.

"This worries me m'lady," the Captain said, his eyes scanning the forest nervously. "We must see to your safety first. He might sent others after you."

"But first," Padme said, looking after the path that the rebels took Vader, "we must see what our prisoner has to say. We might be able to gather information from him through the JedI we have."


	2. Prisioner

Darth Vader woke up with a splitting headache. His eyes adjusted to his surroundings. He found himself in a gray dark cell, his arms in shackles. His senses felt numb, his mind fuzzy. There was something he had to do, but he wasn't certain what that was. He couldn't seem to remember, it hurt too much to think.

The doors to his cell opened and a small green creature walked inside, followed by another robed figure. This second one was taller, human. The shorter being walked awkwardly, supported by a small wooden stick. They both stopped in front of Vader, the taller one with his hand ready by a weapon on his side.

"How feel you?" the smaller one asked as the doors closed behind them.

Darth Vader merely stared at them. He wasn't sure what to make out of them. The human looked at him with distrust, while the smaller green being studied him with open curiosity.

Vader couldn't form words. His head pounded loudly. There was something he had to do, that nagged him in the back of his mind, but was unable to comprehend what that was.

"Who are you?" he managed to ask, turning his head to one side to try to calm down his discomfort.

"JedI, we are," the smaller one said. "Master Yoda my name is and this is Master Kenobi."

"Masters?" Vader asked, not knowing what that could possibly mean.

"Yes," the one named Kenobi answered. "And you are a Sith. Your kind is not to be trusted."

"A Sith?" Vader asked, trying to make sense of what both of them were saying.

"Are you going to repeat everything we say to you?" Kenobi asked with a bit of annoyance.

"I'm sorry," Vader said, trying not to offend them. He sensed a strange and powerful energy coming from them. It seemed to call out to him.

"I'm sorry," he repeated, touching his head. He felt several bandages wrapped around, covering his forehead. "I'm not sure what I'm doing here."

"Really?" Kenobi asked with skepticism. "The all powerful Vader doesn't know where he is?"

"Vader?" he asked. "Why do you keep calling me that?"

"That is your name!" Kenobi bit out quite forcefully. He knew that Vader was being deceitful.

"Remember who you are?" Master Yoda asked, also showing skepticism.

"Should I?" Vader asked them, thinking that he may pass out any minute from the pain.

"Curious," the other JedI scoffed. "That you wouldn't remember now that you're our prisoner."

"Why am I your prisoner?" Vader asked, finding all this confusing. He really didn't know who he was. Why were they so suspicious of him? So angry?

"You've managed to destroy entire civilizations, almost single handedly," Kenobi accused, his hand ready by his sides, "and you can't remember! You've nearly wiped out all of us and you sit here as if you can't recall everything you've done!"

"How could I have done what you say!" Vader cried, feeling all the more confused. Who was he, really?

Before Kenobi could continue, Master Yoda tugged at his cloak and motioned for him to follow to the corner of the cell.

"Remember, he cannot," Master Yoda whispered as Master Kenobi crouched down beside him, his eyes never leaving Vader.

"How do you know it isn't a trick, Master?" Kenobi asked.

"Clouded, his memories are," Master Yoda said. "No deception do I sense from him, only a blank confusion."

"Is it possible to restore his memory?" Kenobi asked.

"Important it is for us to know the Emperors plans," Yoda surmised. "Interesting would be to bring back his memories."

"We need to know what he was doing here, Master," Kenobi said. "He's too dangerous, even if he can't remember who he is."

"Agree with you I do," Yoda said. "May not remember now, but could remember a day from now, a year…"

"Or maybe never," Kenobi said as he watched Vader look at them with worry in his eyes. "In that case, how can we put up someone through a trial of every crime committed if they can't recall what they've done. He's practically a blank slate."

"Then force him to remember, we will," Yoda said thoughtfully. "Once he is well, we will begin to work on him and his memories."

"What if he's faking all this, Master?" Kenobi asked, still in disbelief that Vader could of actually not remember who he is.

"Then more powerful he is if I cannot detect deceit in him," Master Yoda said ominously.


	3. The escape

Vader had been virtually left alone after the JedI left. A medi tech was buzzed in to allow him to take medication for his pain. Otherwise, he was left alone, pondering what the JedI told him. He wasn't able to hear clearly what they whispered about him, but he figured that if he concentrated just a little, he was able to adjust and hear them fine. In fact, the energy he felt surrounding the JedI was still very much around once they had left. He felt it course through him and discovered that he was able to manipulate things with a thought, although that caused his head to throb a little in discomfort.

He figured that if he wanted to escape, that perhaps he could. He just needed to wait, bid his time. It bothered him that the JedI accused him being a killer. He looked at his hands, trying to remember the things they were capable of. Briefly, an image flashed into his mind. There was someone there, in the corner of his mind, but elusive. He remembered two large brown eyes focused on him. Something about the hazy image appeared almost familiar to him, but he couldn't make sense out of what that image meant. He thought if he focused on the image, he might be able to remember something, but whatever it may have been eluded him.

Padme was eager to discover more about Darth Vader. She wanted to know why he was on Naboo and to ascertain that what the JedI told her about his condition was true. Master Yoda had warned her not to go anywhere near Vader without a JedI being present.

"A danger he still is," Yoda had sternly told her.

For someone like Padme who had a knack for diplomacy and planning military strategies, she really didn't take to well to being told what to do. When things needed to be done, she sometimes took it upon herself to see to things. In this case, she couldn't resist ignoring the JedI warning about Vader and decided to interrogate him herself.

Padme walked into Vader's cell, her guards monitoring their prisoners every move through cameras. They had also warned her about Vader but Padme's need of finding out more information from him outweigh caution for her personal safety.

Vader sensed Padme's presence immediately. He glanced up from where he sat, the chains still around his wrists, clamping down upon his skin. He had stared at them for a long time, trying to decipher some kind of way to remove them. Inside, his mind whispered to him, coaxed him, revealing a way in which to achieve his goal, but Vader lacked the strength to attempt something he thought himself incapable of doing.

Padme stood in the far corner of the room where she knew that Vader wouldn't be able to reach her. His expressionless blue eyes looked up at her. Padme's breath caught in her throat and thought for a second that the man imprisoned might really not be Darth Vader. He looked like an angel, and yet there was some element of unholiness about the way he seemed to assess her.

At first Vader looked at her surprised, but quickly changed as he explored her openly with his eyes. The silence stretched out before them as both of them regarded each other with a mix of curiosity and weariness. Padme was the first to speak.

"I'm told that you don't remember who you are," she began.

"I'm not sure who I'm supposed to be," Vader replied, trying to focus on his present situation.

Padme seemed a little annoyed. "Well, if you can't remember who you are, then I'm sure we'll get the JedI's to jog your memory."

"You mean the little green creature with the stick and his unstable friend?"

Padme almost smiled, picturing Master Yoda and Kenobi. They did make an odd pair, but she refused to let Vader disarm her. She gave him a scathing look.

"Who are you?" Vader then asked her. "You seem familiar. Am I supposed to know you?"

"You've seen me before?" Padme asked, curious.

"You seem familiar, but I can't seem to pinpoint how," Vader replied.

"Huh," Padme scoffed. "How convenient."

"You don't believe me," Vader said, smiling tiredly.

"The dark side, as Master Yoda has said on many occasions, clouds everything," Padme told him, folding her arms across her chest. "You are known to be very adept at manipulating the dark side of the force."

"Am I that horrible?" Vader asked, for some reason sorry that Padme would regard him as the enemy.

Padme raised an eyebrow, and said calmly, "You are a monster."

For some reason, her words shook Vader. He felt as though she had slapped him. It bothered him that she would think of him as such a creature. Something inside him hissed, reared its ugly claws, clamping down upon his very soul. Anger at her, at himself for showing such vulnerability coursed inside him. He almost caught a glimpse of his true self, but it became elusive as he regarded the young woman before him. Her presence felt soothing. Her beauty drew him to her. He was sure that if there were such things as angels, they would take the form of this girl.

"You have me at a disadvantage," he finally managed to say, his blue eyes locking with hers in a silent challenge.

Padme felt a strange feeling spark within her. Warmth seemed to flood her insides as Vader's gaze captivated her. Her breath caught in her throat and tentatively took a step back from him.

"I don't know who you are," he continued. "I'm sure that I've never seen someone like you before."

Alarms went off in the back of Padme's mind. Her time spent with Vader was not proving productive at all. She was sure that he would not tell her what she needed to know. She now realized the foolishness of her actions. She should have left Darth Vader solely in the hands of the JedI.

As Padme pondered her actions, Vader stood up from his position in the cot and smiled at her. His expression changed. He looked at her with a certain cockiness that Padme found almost alluring. She began to realize that Vader, even without all his memories, could be very dangerous indeed.

"Have we met before?" he asked her, his tone husky. When Padme said nothing, Vader continued. "I guess we haven't, because if we have, I would have still remembered you despite my lapse in memory."

"Please don't look at me like that," Padme snapped.

"Why not?" Vader challenged. He walked towards her and stopped when the chains would let him go no further. Padme was certain she was safe where she stood but Vader knew that she wouldn't be safe from him for long. He was sure that there was something he had to do with regards to this woman. Only she could help him unlock the mysteries that plagued him. For some reason, the way she looked at him connected to a memory on the back of his mind. It was something in her eyes that seem to haunt him. Suddenly, his mind became clear and he knew what he had to do. There was a flicker in his eyes that Padme caught, some new purpose overshadowing them. The lights in the cell began to fail, alarms began to ring through out the corridors. As the room plunged into complete darkness, Padme frantically reached out for the cell door, only to feel a grip on her arms as she was tossed against the wall of the cell.

She felt warmth breath caress her cheek as Vader's voice harshly whispered, "Call me a monster again, for this time you will not escape me."

Padme opened her mouth to scream for help, only to feel her mouth closed by another's. Vaders lips descended upon hers in a harsh and bruising kiss. He ravished her mouth, imprisoning her body with his up against the cold wall. He intertwined his fingers with hers and braced them on either side of her head. Padme gasped at the blunt offense, but that only gave Vader more access to explore her mouth. He nipped and bit into her full lips, his hands falling onto her thrust up breasts, kneading and squeezing them. Padme involuntary let a small moan escape her parted lips. She trembled inside feeling a rush of hot liquid seep out of her core. A growing longing began to spread within her and she instantly loathed herself for feeling such things for the enemy of her people.

Vader let the chains that held him fall upon the floor. With a wave of his hand the doors to his prison opened. He came face to face with two arms guards. Vader sneered and used the Force to slam their bodies against the walls of the hallway. Padme screamed, trying to shake herself from Vader. He refused to release her as he dragged Padme beside him into a long corridor. The emergency light flashed. The doors at the end that lead into the prison were tightly locked. Shouts from the other side of the door echoed into the long hallway.

"You won't get away!" Padme warned, finally finding her voice.

Vader took a moment to ponder his options. He could force the doors opened and dispose of those behind the doors, but he knew that he wouldn't be able to take on the whole rebel army if he was to take himself and Padme safely out of the compound.

His eyes finally rested on Padme's struggling form. "Where is the nearest exist?" he asked her.

"There!" she pointed in defiance towards the doors he wanted to avoid.

"One that will take us away from them," he said tightly, his voice gripped in frustration.

"You can go to hell for all I care!" Padme screamed, still struggling. She made a fist and tried to slam it into his face, but Vader seemed to anticipate her moves and blocked her. He clamped his arm around Padme's middle and brought her head close enough for him to whisper into her ears, "I'm here for you, Commander," he roughly said. "Do you want your men to die because of you? You know what I'm capable of. Now tell me, how else might we escape?"

Padme seethed in anger. She was quite sure that Vader would die before he made his escape, but knew that dozens of people would die just to bring him down. She couldn't afford to bury more of her comrades and decided that her own life would be a small price to pay in exchange for theirs. Grudgingly she pointed to the opposite end of the wall.

"There is a hidden corridor there that leads safely into the forest," she said.

"Show me how it works," Vader ordered.

Padme touched the wall, looking for a small probe and managed to open a small door that reached halfway up to her hips.

"Let's go," commanded Vader, pulling her inside the tunnel.

As soon as they were inside, the door to the small tunnel closed behind them. Padme had no choice but to continue crawling down the small path. She could feel Vader close behind her.

"Everything was a ruse then," she said after a while.

"Crawl faster," Vader commanded sharply behind her.

"Why don't you just kill me now," Padme said gritting her teeth. "That's why you're here, isn't it?"

"You'll see why I'm really here," Vader told her, his voice dropping in tone. He followed her, a smirk on his face as he thought how lovely she looked crawling on all fours. Her behind was invitingly round and firm. It took Vader's will power not to reach out and take her right there. However, he calmed down his baser instincts and forced himself to think about the task at hand. He knew that he should dispose of Padme, just as he was instructed to do, but he had alternate plans that would end up benefiting him in the long run. His mind still felt fuzzy, his memories sketchy, but he recalled what his present situation was and knew what he must do.

Padme felt that they had crawled for hours when she knew that they must have been in the tunnel for no more than ten.

"They probably know that we're down here," Padme warned.

"Even if they do," Vader said, "that still won't help you."

"How did you trick the JedI?" Padme asked. "You were lying all along."

"I didn't have to lie at all," he said. "I didn't remember, but you helped me."

"What?" she asked, stopping and craning her neck back to look at him.

"Keep moving!" he roughly said smacking her bottom.

Padme turned around as much as she could, her eyes two angry orbs. She let her right leg shoot out and kick Vader squarely in his shoulder. Vader grunted in pain reaching out for Padme's ankle, sending her tumbling down. Padme began to struggle in earnest as Vaders body covered hers. He caught her fisted hands as they tried to seriously pummel him.

"Get off me!" Padme yelled. "How dare you!"

"Listen!" Vader said, shaking her into submission. "You've already caused us precious time. I'm not apologizing for anything that transpires between you and I. So if you're looking for an apology, I will never give it!"

Padme glared at him, forcing herself to calm down. Being this close to him unnerved her. When Vader saw that she was no longer fighting, he released his hold on her and allowed them both to proceed down the tunnel.


	4. Trapped

Once they were outside, Vader could see that the rebels were combing every inch of the forest. He turned to Padme, who looked at him with triumph in her eyes. She knew that there was no way to escape and that soon Vader would be found. Vader knew that his only hope of leaving would be to do so quietly without detection. He also knew that that option was impossible with Padme along. He could only think of one thing to do in order to go away undetected. He turned to Padme, determined to silence her once and for all. Padme saw the dark look in his eyes as he pulled her roughly towards him. Padme opened her mouth to scream, but before she could, blackness engulfed her fully and she knew no more.

A cooing noise awoke the beautiful girl with a start. She sat up, her eyes shocked as she looked at the strange surroundings. The small cottage blended into a massive tree. There were large green vines growing along the wooden walls that made up the cottage. There were a couple of simple furnishings in the small room. The girl found herself tucked into a small wooden bed in the far side of the room. She shivered in nervousness, her hands rising to touch her head in confusion. Her usually pinned up hair lay in cascades around her. Long locks fanned her face. She felt a rush of cold caress her skin. She realized, looking down at herself that she had nothing else on but a warm blanket to cover her body. Otherwise, she was completely nude.

Something else shifted in the room. The girl's huge brown eyes tried focusing on a figure on the far corner of the darkened room. The figure only clothed in black fitting pants and dark boots emerged from the corner. His bronze muscular skin gleamed with the morning sunlight. His golden hair framed his handsome features, marred by a thin scar running down the side of his face.

Padme tugged the sheets closer around her, trying to cover every inch of her body.

"Why am I here?" she asked him. "What happened?"

"Nothing," Vader replied, his eyes dark as he roamed her small form. He smiled seductively at her then. "I haven't made unseemly advances in your docile state."

Padme looked at him, uncertainty in her eyes.

"What kind of monster are you?" she asked, trying to understand what was going on. "How did you escape? What did you do to me?"

Darth Vader merely assessed her. She was far more beautiful than he had originally thought. He was pleased that he was able to carry out his plan almost without fail. Using the Force to subdue Padme was a last minute resort. He carried her, slumped over his shoulder as he made his way through the forest. He knew exactly where to go, how to avoid detection. He had planned this for months, ever since he first saw Padme's image as a list of suspects that contributed to the failure of several of the Republic's plans. Never in his life had Darth Vader allowed himself to feel any kind of emotion for anyone. He was taught from an early age that emotion was a hindrance that would only get in the way of his personal ambitions. His only function was to do the bidding of the Republic and the Chancellor. He never bothered to question those who controlled him, but did their bidding because he saw that the outcome of his actions gained him power. He hardened his heart, not allowing for anyone to glimpse inside of it until even he was blind to what emotions he harbored inside.

That was his life until he saw Padme's image on a holo screen. The Security for the Republic were going over a list of suspects and as Padme's image appeared, something within Vader began to come alive. A surge of curiosity, desire, began to course through him. For the first time he was aware that he even had a heart, curious by how he felt it beat within his breast for the first time. Since then, Vader had had dreams of Padme. These dreams haunted him, vexed him. Never had he felt such growing desires for anyone. Her very image tormented him. Growing up he was able to find momentary distraction for his baser desires. He would venture into the lower levels of Coruscant to deal with his carnal urges. Once these desires were met, he would leave and pay the women for the services they rendered him. He never bothered to look back nor exchange any words with them. He cared not who they were so long as they placated the raging desires he knew the Force could not control within him.

Now, as he stared at the object of desire on the bed, he smiled. He found Padme intriguing. Even the tone of her voice was intoxicating. He wanted to know everything about her. He wanted to explore the deepest recess of her mind until he knew her fully. He never wanted to forget her and was determined that she never forget him as well. He prepared himself for an interesting battle, knowing that she was going to fight him with every ounce of her being.

"Why am I here!" she yelled out angrily. "Is this some kind of twisted plan that the Republic has lowered itself to do?"

"You're here because I wish you to be," Vader replied curtly. "The Emperor wants you dead, you know," he added, watching for her reaction.

Padme was seething anger. "And of course he sends his lackey to do his dirty work for him," she spat out.

For some reason, her accusations bothered Vader. He didn't like her calling him anyone's lackey. He was free from the confines of slavery because of the Emperor. He owed him his life. The Emperor was the only one who bothered with a small slave boy left abandoned after the death of his mother.

"You don't know anything about me," he said in a menacing tone. "You're still alive, aren't you?"

"I won't give you any information you seek, you know," Padme said. "You might as well kill me now. I'm not going to talk. There isn't anything left for you butchers to manipulate me with. My parents are dead, I have no family. I only live to see all of you destroyed."

"Revenge drives you then" Vader said, coming to rest at the side of the bed. Padme scooted away from him, watching him warily.

"Call it what you want, you monster," she angrily said. "It's payback time. You and your Emperor will not survive this war."

"You're that sure of yourself, are you?" Vader asked, his voice brittle. His blue eyes bore deeply into hers. Padme's voice caught in her throat. It was as if he was trying to see inside her. She couldn't look away from his penetrating gaze. His nearness, combined with his state of half undress and her complete nakedness lend for a change in the already tense atmosphere. There seemed to be something electric between them. Padme clutched the sheets closer to her, holding her breath as Vader reached out to touch her cheek. "You're so beautiful," he breathed, his tone changing. His fingers slowly traced her jaw line to the richness of her full bottom lip.

"You shouldn't do that," Padme tried saying with conviction. "Please let me go."

"I'll let you go," Vader said, leaning over. His steely blue eyes never breaking his hold on hers. "Eventually." Before Padme could say anything else, he covered her lips with his with a searing kiss. Padme gasped, surprised at herself for allowing him such liberties, but she couldn't seem to help herself. The growing desires in her body were betraying her. She couldn't move, only allow this new wave of emotions to overwhelm her.

Vader sunk his hands into the richness of Padme's hair and allowed himself to drown in her perfume, in her essence. He deepened his kiss, spurred on by the mewling sounds Padme was making as he plunged her mouth with his tongue. Her taste was just as intoxicating as the sweetest Corelian wine. He nipped her lower lip, his hands gently kneading into her scalp, one hand lowering to touch the rich satin skin of her exposed back. She felt as smooth as silk. Vader felt himself hardening all the more. He needed to be inside her now, but grater was his need to explore Padme's body, to make her want him just as much as he wanted her.

As he continued his drugging kisses, he gently slipped away the blanket that stood as a barrier between them. He pressed her closer to him, her nakedness pressed against his chest. Padme moaned as Vader lowered his lips to capture one pink nipple into his mouth. Her breasts were small and well shaped. He sucked, biting down gently as his other hand pressed her more fully to him. Padme's eyes fluttered close, her hands holding his head to her. She felt something slippery wet between her thighs and pressed her knees closer, her breath coming in shorter intervals.

Vader pressed Padme back, removing the sheets . His hands roamed over her body, nipping and kissing the areas left exposed. Rough calloused hands exposed every crevice and valley of her body, his tongue licking at exposed flesh, wanting to taste every part of her. Padme wimpered, the ache between her legs becoming unbearable. Sensing her high state of arousal, Vader slipped two fingers inside her wet sheath and stroked her discomfort. Padme's body jerked, pressing herself closer to Vaders expert fingers. Soon she was moving in unison with what he was doing to the lower half of her body. Vader covered her lips once again with his, igniting more her desires. Padme grabbed his wrist, holding his hand closer to her center as her body began to convulse in release.

"Ohhhh!" Padme moaned. Before she could reach the pinnacle of ecstasy, Vader removed his hand and quickly settled himself between her thighs. He dispensed with the rest of his attire, watching Padme's chest rise and fall. Beads of perspiration began to glisten in her body. It made Vader even more aroused than he thought possible. He looked down upon Padme, her eyes half closed in desire, her body plaint and ready for his invasion. Before giving her another searing kiss, he hoarsely whispered into her ear, "Call me Anakin. My name is Anakin."

"Ani," Padme whispered, before his mouth covered hers.

Anakin eased himself into Padme's waiting warmth. Her entrance was wet and slippery, allowing for easier penetration. Padme clutched Anakin's shoulders as he pressed himself more deeply inside her. There was only a moment of discomfort for Padme as Anakin did away with her maidenhead, but then she began to feel a moment of completion as she felt Anakin fully inside her. She wrapped her legs around him, never wanting the moment to end.

Anakin slowly began to create friction between their bodies as he slid in and out of her sheath. Padme began to move her hips following Anakin's steady rhythm. She felt him stretch her even more as he sank deep inside her. He picked up speed as he felt the first waves of ecstacy hit him. He watched Padme's expression, his eyes taking in her reactions. Padme wimpered and called out Anakin's name.

"Oh, Gods!" she cried as she experience powerful orgasms shake her. She clutched Anakin's powerful arms. Her cries only spurred Anakin to slow his pace to prolong their release. He began to shake, thinking that perhaps he should pull out of Padme before he spilled his seed inside her, but she felt so good beneath him that he didn't care if he spilled into her twenty times over. In fact, it only made him thinks of other ways to enjoy his moments with her.

As waves of orgasms overtook Anakin, he moaned loudly, loving the feel of Padme's smooth skin beneath him and the way her tight sheath enclosed his engorged shaft.

Padme screamed her release as Anakin' s hoarse cry filled the room. He collapsed on top of her, careful not to crush her under his weight. Padme lay panting beneath him, gasping for air. She felt a rush of cool air hit her body, sending shivers down her spine. She opened her eyes, only to see Anakin hovering above her, still catching his breath. Realization of what she just done came crashing around her, but as she shifted her legs to push him away, she could only feel him more inside of her. She gasped at how quickly she felt her own arousal and instead of pushing him from her, she surprised them both by wrapping her legs around him and forcing him deeper inside her. She pushed her body forward, her nails digging into his arms as she felt his arousal lengthen inside her sheath. Anakin lowered his lips to catch hers and kissed her deeply as he pushed himself inside her. This time their mating was almost animalistic as each fought for control over the other. Anakin pinned her down, but Padme fought to meet his every thrust.

The hours of the day slipped away as the two figures in bed continued their fierce mating. They rested briefly, entwined in each others arms, only to awaken again and resume their growing passion for the other. No words were exchanged, no promises made, for both already knew that their time together was to be brief. Maybe in another time, each silently thought, never wanting to voice what was growing in their hearts.

As night overtook day and then gave way to day again, the girl in the cottage awoke to the sounds of chirping birds again. Again she felt cool air hit her skin. The girls eyes fluttered opened as her arms automatically searched for her bed partner. Before she became fully awake she knew that she would be alone. She knew that he would go away and she might never see him again. A great emptiness filled her heart. All the emotion that she had bottled up inside began to spill forth. She began to cry, knowing that her life would never be the same again.


	5. A new hope

**Eight months later…**

"The war is at an end," the rebels kept repeating to each other. "Word has it that the Emperor had a falling out with his second in command. He defied him openly…"

"Do you think this is true, master?" Obiwan Kenobi asked the aging Master Jedi as they walked down the Jedi Temple on Naboo.

"Difficult to tell, it is," Yoda said wearily. "Sensed great power in that one, we did."

"Yet Darth Vader seems to have single handedly given us his Master on a silver platter."

"Deceit is the way of the dark side," Yoda warned. "Perhaps thinking to overtake his Masters place, he is."

"Then why just not kill him and overtake the Empire?" Kenobi questioned.

"More mysterious this puzzle has become, my old Padawan," Yoda carefully said. Both of them stopped at two large wooden doors leading into the hospital wing of the Temple. "Perhaps Commander Padme can help in this puzzle."

As the doors swung opened, the two Jedi came upon Barriss Offee, Jedi healer, preparing for the birth of two Jedi twins. The news came as a great welcomed surprised to an already dying order.

Offee's former Master, Luminara Unduli, greeted the Jedi.

"The labor will be a difficult one," she informed them, "but we are confident that everything will come out well."

"How does she?" Kenobi asked, referring to the mother.

"She's strong," Luminara said but seemed to hesitate slightly.

"Something you want to ask?" Yoda questioned.

"Master, we are all greateful for the birth of two new Jedi," Luminara quickly said, but hesitated before continuing, " … but my former Padawan and I concur that great is the Force that surrounds the new twins. Very powerful, perhaps…"

"More than any other Jedi here?" Yoda finished.

"I meant no disrespect master," Luminara said, lowering her head respectfully.

Yoda nodded. "Only happy we are that we and not someone else knows of the birth of these children. Safe they will be here."

The three of them turned as they heard the first scream of the mother fill the air. The birthing had began. Luminara excused herself in order to offer her help to her former Padawan.

"Mistress Amidala!" coached Offee. "You must push! Take a deep breath. You are almost there!"

As Padme felt another contraction hit her, she used every ounce of her strength to give birth to the first of her two children, all the while picturing the image of their father in her head.


	6. The Chosen One

_Thank you to all who said that theyenjoyed the story so far! I wanted to finish this story soon, but I'm suffering though a case of writers block. However, I havestrapped myself down infront of my computer, determined to add more chapters to this story. I hope you enjoy and you can be as brutally honest about this story as you like, so long as it's constructive and not insulting. _

_Oh, andlike sooooo many people here, I too don't own these characters nor do I look to profit from George Lucases creative mind..._

There were whispers among the rebels about a rising hero among them. He suddenly showed up out of nowhere, helping rebel alliances defeat the forces of the Emperor. He was the best fighter anyone had ever seen. Many suspected that it was Vader gone rogue, for no one else had the piloting capabilities of the Sith Lord. Yet the only name he would give was Skywalker. His fighter ship was small, resembling an Eta 2 Actis Interceptor's used by the Emperor's forces, yet Skywalker maneuvered the ship far quicker than the best stormtroopers ever could. He would offer the Alliance key information on infiltrating and destroying the Emperor's forces, granting the Alliance an upper hand over the Emperor. Time and time again he was asked to supply more information about himself, to explain his purpose in helping out the Alliance, but silence had always been his reply.

**Naboo….**

Master Yoda had poured over the scriptures of the prophecy. Again, it spoke about a warrior strong in the force, The Chosen One that would one day bring balance to the Force. Master Yoda was certain that after many years the prophecy had become more of a myth; a tale to tell younglings when it came time to be tucked into bed. Yet for the past month, those younglings (secretly trained to be Jedi), had woken up and whispered of a "Hero Without Fear."

"He rises from the darkness," the younglings whispered in their dreams. "He will set us free."

**Degobah…**

The marches of the desolate and wild planet concealed the lone being racing through its harsh lands. The jungle was wild and untamed, much like the sole inhabitant of the planet. Much of the life forms of the planet were simple minded creatures, animals in nature. For Anakin Skywalker, formally Darth Vader, the planet was the only place where he could seek refuge from his demons. It is said that once the Dark path of the Force is followed, there is no turning back into the light, but for Skywalker, the opposite seemed to be true. He was fighting to break himself free from those demons that always lived inside him. The constant anger he carried, the hate for everything around him, was difficult to let go.

When Skywalker became the Emperors apprentice, he was no more than a boy who only knew loneliness, loss and sorrow. There was no other way to live. Even when he continued on as the Emperors apprentice, there was really no affection there, except for the praise the Emperor gave Anakin on his powers. The Emperor wanted to wipe out Skywalker's former life. There was no looking back, he had insisted. He even gave him a new name. He had almost forgotten the name he was born with, had almost forgotten the few moments of joy he had had as a child, that is until he met Padme. Seeing her close up, letting her essence overwhelm him made him feel as though he could break out of the present prison he had made for himself. She had called him a lackey… a mere servant to a man bent on absolute power. Anakin had never really seen himself as such, but knew that Padme was right. He was a mere pawn to the Emperor. He had only known destruction and death. He felt nothing for those who begged for their life. They were mere insects, weaker beings that weren't strong enough to survive, much less live.

Yet, through out his life of being the Emperors assassin, he had seen compassion reign in those beings he considered weaker. He had seen them fight, spring up in hope, even as he wiped away their reason to live, still they clung to hope. They were stronger than he supposed and even admired the gumption they had of dying rather than give into the Emperors demands. The truth was, Anakin was sick of death, the constant battle for power. It never ended. He continued to serve the Emperor because he didn't think that he had any other choice. What more was there?

Yet looking into Padme's eyes, knowing that there could be more, made him feel things he's never felt before. Since the first moment he'd seen her on the holonet, he hadn't stopped thinking about her. His dreams began to be more vivid and he somehow knew that he couldn't continue as the Emperor's assassin and have Padme for his own. The Emperor would not allow such treachery. He would sooner choke the life out of Padme with his bare hands and revel in Anakin's loss. That was the way of it. To continue to be in the service of the Emperor was to accept things as they were.

"No more," Anakin breathed… stopping for a breath. Sweat beaded down his forehead. No matter how fast he ran how much he trained and put his body through grueling drills, still he could not shake the image of Padme from his mind. If he closed his eyes, he could still breathe in her fragrance, could still taste her sweet kisses on his mouth.

Waking up next to Padme that morning, he knew that he had to get away. He didn't know how to handle the chaotic emotions she produced within him. Planning how to capture her all those months, he really hadn't figured what to do with her beyond possessing her. He knew that turning her into the Emperor after what transpired between them was out of the question. He would never surrender her to the Dark Lord, but he couldn't stay with her either and endanger her with his presence. And yet, Anakin didn't count on his need for her to increase every day he was apart from her. Her absence overwhelmed him. Every breath felt as if a part of his soul was leaving his body for want of her. He told himself that what he felt was crazy. He'd felt pain before, but never this kind of self inflicted torture that he couldn't shake.

Stopping next to a large tree, he leaned against it and tried to slow down the beating of his heart. He finally said out loud what he had been denying himself all this time, "I can't live without her," he panted. "By the Sith, I can't loose her."

In his solitude on Degobah he learned to let go of himself and surrender unto the Force. That was something that the Dark Lord never taught him how to do. He only knew how to manipulate the energy around him, bend it to his will. Yet he discovered that if he gave himself up to that energy, the demons hissing in his mind ceased. He learned to see himself in a new light. By surrendering into the Force he had essentially freed himself from the darkness clasped about his heart and soul. In freeing himself he also felt his feelings for Padme stir more strongly within him. She gave him strength and for her he was determined to bring about the destruction of the Emperor so that she could be safe. He had started by offering his services to the Alliance. He used the name he was born with, the name no one else knew him by save the Emperor. He hadn't even told Padme what his last name was, but he reveled in the memory of her calling him by his given name while in the throes of passion. He would close his eyes and remember those moments. His very skin tingling as his memory flooded with images of Padme moving in unison beneath him, her arms holding onto him as her eyes bore into his, calling out his name.

Anakin let out a breath. He needed to end the torture. He needed to end what he set into motion. Only then could he have Padme. Only then was there a chance of her forgiving him and perhaps even finding redemption with the rest of the Galaxy.

**The Outer Rim… **

The Emperor swiveled in his chair angrily. "Why hasn't anyone found Lord Vader!"

"He has eluded us my lord," one of the clone generals calmly replied. "He may be dead."

The Emperor laughed. "You don't know Vader! He can survive anything! He must be found and brought to me!"

General Cody briefly glanced at his clone brothers, waiting for the Emperor to give him further instructions.

"He was the only one who would have exposed our weaknesses to our enemies," the Emperor continued. "I sensed his betrayal, his growing independence."

"Sir," General Cody said, "What are your orders?"

"Go to Naboo," the Emperor ordered. "Vaders betrayal can be traced there."  
"There were reports of his death at the hands of the rebels," one of his advisers said.

"Bah!" the Emperor exclaimed with a wave of his hand. "I can still sense him. Lord Vader still lives, but not for long. The Force has revealed many a disturbing things about Lord Vader. You must bring him to me General Cody. Go to Naboo. Find Commander Amidala. Bring her to me and Vader will soon follow."

The Emperors commanders and advisers around the room looked at each other. None dared question the Emperor's motives. General Cody simply nodded, showing no emotions in his weathered face. He nodded to his brothers. All bowed before the Emperor and filed out of the room.

The Emperor dismissed those around him, swiveling back in his chair, facing the darkness of the galaxy through the windows of his office. "You will pay, Lord Vader for your treachery," he vowed, almost gleefully. "I've finally discovered what you long hid from me old friend. I warned you about love. It's the path of the weak, the vulnerable. Soon we will find how weak you truly are when I crush Commander Amidala right in front of your eyes."

A strange calm settled upon Degobah as a lone figure walked its dark marshes towards a sleek small ship. The figure stopped, sensing a change within the environment around him. A breeze caught him unaware as he turned in the direction from where it came. He cocked his head to one side, noticing something that wasn't there before. Looking around him, the figure sensed something different about this particular spot. Something caught his eye just beyond a small clearing in the forest. He clasped his light saber close to him. There was something there, inside that cave that pulsed with dark energy. He closed his eyes briefly and let himself connect to the Force. Somehow he knew that he could only leave Degobah behind only if he ventured into the cave. He recognized the darkness pulsing inside that cave because it echoed the darkness that had lived inside him for so long. For the first time in his life, he purposely let go of his light saber. He chose not to take it with him into the cave, realizing that he alone must face the darkness with only the force to guide him and nothing else. Feeling slightly apprehensive, he walked toward the darkness, letting the cave swallow him whole.


	7. Invasion

_Sorry that I have taken so much time with this. Talk about severe writers block! I'm trying to come up with another story, but I can't do that until I'm done with this one. Hopefully, the rest wont take such a long time! _

_Once again, I seek no profit from this story. The characters are the rightful property of Mr. Lucas, I'm just borrowing them._

**Naboo…**

Giving birth to the twins had been difficult for Padme. She had clung onto the hand of Bariss Offee through the difficult labor. Her insides felt as they were being torn asunder. Yet for some reason, all she could think about was her children's father. When he had left her, she felt as though he had taken her very soul. She had stared at herself for a long time afterwards, trying to understand the woman who stared back. That morning, after finding herself alone, Sergeants Sabe and Sache were the first to find her. She was still naked; her long curly hair cascaded in waves down her smooth creamy back. She had said nothing as they draped a warm blanket about her shoulders, even when they directed toward a transport, Padme said nothing. She merely stared at her hands, clenching and unclenching her fists.

Upon arriving at Theed, she had refused medical inspection. Sabe and Sashe were both perplexed, worried that their Commander and friend had been through a difficult ordeal and now refused any help, perhaps out of shame. They'd never seen her resolve and determination weakened. This new Padme perplexed and unsteadied them. Padme had chosen to lock herself in her room, wanting to get away from the stares her friends had given her, their eyes silently imploring her to come back to her senses. Yet Padme refused. She had let the warm blanket fall off her shoulders and stared at the nude women before her in the mirror. Gone was the woman she had been. Coldness crept within her breast as tears began falling down her smooth cheeks. She noticed bite marks below her collar, and pale blue marks on the perfect round globes of her breasts. She should be ashamed for what happened and yet all she could think about was the loneliness she felt at her lover's loss. Her lips that morning still felt bruised from his kisses.

And yet, she knew that she had to suppress her feelings. She knew that if there was a part of her that was to survive this emotional ordeal, she needed to be the same person who had the courage to step into that dark cell holding Darth Vader. She wanted to laugh. What a joke! His name cloaked the real person within. Yes, Vader was the monster sent out to destroy her, but who would have thought that the human being contained within was the real danger?

**Degobah….**

The cave was dark and cold. Snakes slithered in the ground. Anakin tried to focus his eyes on the darkness, yet the Force pulsing within him insisted that his eyes could not help him see what he alone must discover through his feelings. A light blazed inside. The red light of a saber whirled close to his head. Anakin instantly grabbed for his weapon, only to find himself without it. He could almost kick himself for being so careless. The saber closed in on him. Anakin jumped aside, calling upon the Force. Several rocks flew toward the clocked figure; only to have the figure easily block them with his saber. Anakin faced his attacker again. Upon closer inspection, the light of the red saber help reveal the face of his enemy. He gasped in surprise. The eyes that stared back at him shone like two red burning coals. They held no emotion. Anakin felt a cold draft chill his spine. This wasn't right. It couldn't be. How could be facing himself?

His other self lifted his saber again. Off in the distance he thought he heard the Emperor's malevolent voice whisper, "Kill him!" Anakin lounged for the saber, struggling with his own self for the weapon. As he felt gaining the upper hand, he managed to rip the saber from his opponents hands as the gleeful voice of the Emperor echoed through out the chambers walls.

Partially speared on by the Emperor's voice and his own resolve that he must destroy that other part of himself, Anakin severed his opponents head in one quick stroke. In the process he heard the scream of a woman in pain followed by the gleeful laughter of the Emperor. Anakin looked down at the body crumpled by his feet. It was no longer his other self that he had fought. Instead, it was a woman's headless body that lay by his feet. Padme! His mind screamed in horror. Anakin was not one to be afraid of anything, but for the first time in his life, he felt as though he was punched in the gut. He stumbled back against the cave's wall, shutting his eyes, knowing that it was but an illusion he had taken part of. 'This isn't real!' his mind screamed. 'Not Padme! Not her!'

**Theed…**

Obi Wan read the reports from Admiral Cronos on the last attacks on the Emperor's forces. Skywalker's named appeared more often in the reports. Because of him the Alliance was able to find Kamino and destroy the Emperor's endless supply of clones for his army. They've also helped scattered the troops across the Galaxy, weakening the Emperors power. More star systems were freed. Soon the entire Galaxy would enjoy their right to self govern. The last piece of the puzzle remained to be toppled form its perch. The need to find the Emperor increased every day. If the war was to come to an end, the Emperor must be destroyed. For that, Admiral Cronos pleaded with the last remaining Jedi to search out Skywalker. Part of Obi Wan felt insulted. He knew that the only person capable of that grand task was Master Yoda, but perhaps the Admiral might be right in this case. If Master Yoda's suspicions were correct, then this Skywalker could indeed bring balance to the Force. What worried Kenobi was the nagging suspicion that Vader and Skywalker was the same person.

Kenobi stroked his beard. "What a dilemma this is," he said to himself. "I must meditate on this and trust in the Force that Master Yoda's suspicions are correct."

Captain Sabe gave out last minute orders to the Rebel Squadron sent to hunt down the last supporters of the Emperor. "Arrest Nute Gunray and have him brought before our courts. He has a lot to answer for."

"Admiral Cronos reports that the attacks on several Empire ships have been successful," Captain Typho told her.

Sabe nodded in approval. More than ever she wished that Commander Padme was with them. On Naboo she was the Rebel's constant rock. She never seemed to loose her focus and continued to share everyone's desire to end the oppressive rule of the Empire and its supporters. No one had ever dreamed of questioning Padme's loyalties. Before that could happen, Sabe had taken charge of her friend's situation. The Alliance was under the impression that Padme survived her captor, but her injuries were such that she was forced into seclusion until she recuperated. That was the official story. Only the Jedi and Sabe and Sache knew the truth, or at least as much as Padme was willing to supply. They kept the birth of the twins a secret, knowing that being Force sensitive would leave them targets for the Empire.

"How is she?" Sache asked Offee.

It had been several days since Padme had given birth to the twins. Padme's health did not seem to improve.

"Her vital readings indicate that she's in perfect health, but she seems to deteriorate before our eyes," Offee replied.

"She's dying?" Sashe asked in surprised.

"We can't explain it," Offee said. "It seems as though she lost the will to live."

"That doesn't make sense!" exclaimed Sashe. "It's not like her to give up!"

"She has an overwhelming feeling of despair filling her heart," Offee informed.

"But her children must give her some comfort," Sache insisted. "They should be her reason to live!"

"In all of this," Offee said in an uneven tone, "lies the root of what transpired in that cottage."

"That monster attacked her!" Sashe bit out. "She's like this because of him! He tormented her beyond endurance."

Bariss Offee did not flinch as she said quietly, "There was no attack."

Sache's face drained of color. She was baffled. Surely the Jedi was wrong. What else could explain Padme's change?

"You saw…" Sashe began, trying to recall that horrible day.

"We saw nothing," Bariss replied.

"I don't understand." Sashe shook her head.

"We've all been too polite to say anything to her," Bariss said. "Master Yoda believes that her fate is inexplicably linked to Vaders."

"That… thing?" Sashe spat out, disgust filling her voice. "She couldn't possibly be dying because she… she…" Sashe couldn't get the words out; they choked in her throat. Instead she said, "Peace is imminent and all of this should be over soon."

"So say you all," Offee replied. "This war is far from over for some of us."

With those last words, Bariss left Sache standing there, frozen in her own fears.

A part of Padme was too tired to fight. She barely made out the figures of her children as Orfee presented them to her after their birth. Tears streamed down her eyes. Darkness began to engulf her and at that moment, between the light and the darkness, she could almost see Anakin stare back at her with a horrified expression in his eyes. She heard him yelling out her name.

"I'm so sorry!" her mind screamed out. "Anakin… I'm so sorry!"

Anakin Skywalker felt droplets of cold sweat soak his back. He had been flying though space what seemed innumerable hours. At that moment he thought he heard a voice calling him out in the distance. A sweet voice that filled his heart, but at the same time if felt as though it ripped his soul in half. Anakin felt like reaching out with his fingers through the deep recesses of space to stop the events he most dreaded from happening.

"I can't loose her!" he said out loud. "I can't!"

Obi Wan observed Padme's still form on the other side of the glass window. He felt the presence of Master Yoda approach him.

"She is still unwell," the older Master stated with a sigh.

"They're still working on her," replied Obi Wan, with a touch of worry in his voice. "She has been unable to recover since the birth of the twins two days ago. She may not survive this."

Yoda was thoughtful for a moment and then said, "In all of this Vader presence I sense. Have a task for you I do."

Kenobi looked down at the wise old Master, guessing what he might say.

"You want me to seek him out," Obi Wan added, crossing him arms. "We still don't know his motives Master."

"Think you he is a danger still, do you?"

Obi Wan was thoughtful for a while and then said, "I must confess that it's been a while since I've felt the darker side of the force. In my meditations, I've felt things change. As if things were creating…"

"A balance," Yoda finished.

"Only time will tell that outcome Master," Obi Wan said.

"Meditate I have as well, young one," Yoda said. "Still feel the Dark Side clouding everything. Difficult to see the future is."

"What would you have me do Master?" Obi Wan asked.

"Find Vader," he replied, tapping his walking stick lightly on the marble floor. "Do this, for I must go to Theed and offer council to the Queen."

"You want me to engage him?"

"Observe him. Speak with him you must. Don't think engaging him in battle will be necessary."

"If he is the Chosen One Master, then he has been the architect of this war turning in our favor."

Yoda continued to observe Padme's still form. "The Chosen one he may be," he said, "but has caused great pain to others in the process."

Anakin landed in the same clearing he had when he first came to Naboo all those months ago. He figured that if the strategy he used to infiltrate Naboo's atmosphere still worked, then there was no use changing his strategy now.

He let his deep desire for Padme guide him. Even now the passion he felt for her burned inside him. He was determined to find her and then… then what? He asked himself. He looked around the forest, planning how he would be able to get into the city without being detected. Maybe he should just charge into Theed, demanding to see her. Desperation gnawed his insides as he weighed his options. His best course of action was to go into Theed undetected and look for Padme. He tapped into the force, letting instinct guide him as he headed toward the city.

Commander Cody listened to the orders sent through the com link. He turned to the dark hooded figure next to him, waiting for further orders.

"At last the Emperor has chosen to get rid of Vader," the hooded figure said darkly. "At last I will have my revenge."

"What are your orders, sir?" Commander Cody asked.

"Wipe them out," Darth Maul commanded forcefully, looking out into the valley where the hidden Jedi temple lay. "All of them."

As Anakin reached the outskirts of Theed, he sensed a strong presence in the force approach him. He had detected that presence before. He turned around to face the approaching Jedi.

"You won't find her there, you know," he heard the older Jedi say.

"What do you know of it?" Anakin asked, his hands ready by his saber. "How did you find me?"

"We knew you were coming," replied Obi Wan. "This is where you came into Naboo last time, correct?"

"So far for not changing my approach," Anakin replied with a grimace. "So the small green guy sent you over."

"You mean Master Yoda," corrected Obi Wan, still appearing quite relaxed.

"Let me guess," he said, "He sent you to capture me."

"You really aren't that important you know," Obi Wan said, finding the young man quite arrogant.

"Tell me, why are you really here?"

"You seem to know," Anakin replied curtly, assessing the older Jedi.

"You can't take her, you know," Kenobi said.

That sent alarms in Anakin's head. Was this Jedi trying to taunt him?

"They call you The Negotiator, don't they?" Anakin asked. "Are you sure people weren't mistaken?"

"Taking the Commander is not negotiable," replied Obi Wan.

"I must see her!" insisted Anakin.

"Why?" asked Obi Wan. "Don't you think you've done enough?"

"What's happened to her!" Anakin exclaimed. "I won't let you keep her from me!"

""She may not want to see you," replied Obi Wan, finding himself quite irritated with the young man.

"I must see her!" Anakin insisted.

"You're still a wanted man, you know," Obi Wan reminded him. "

"Vader is," replied Anakin. "That is the name of my old self that I choose to forget."

"No one can turn from the Darkside," informed Obi Wan. "How do we know this isn't a trick?"

"You don't know," Anakin said. "With or without your permission, I'm going to find her."

"Why are you doing this?" Obi Wan asked calmly, studying the impatient young man.

Anakin assessed the older Jedi. He forced himself to calm down. "You wouldn't understand."

"Try me," Obi Wan replied. "Explain to me how someone in your position relinquishes so much power. You've practically handed the Emperor to his enemies. Why?"

A nerve on Anakin's face twitched. How dare the Jedi ask him to explain himself! A part of him wanted to strike the Jedi down and continue searching for Padme, but there was something about the Jedi that intrigued him.

"I can't explain it myself," Anakin replied, relaxing a little. "I couldn't do it anymore. I hated everything and everyone around me and I didn't even know why."

"That still doesn't explain your abrupt change," Obi Wan insisted, "Nor your interest in Padme."

Anakin tensed again. Why did he have to explain himself? He was perhaps more powerful than any Jedi, including the stubborn one facing him now. 'Maybe you're loosing your touch,' he told himself.

"I think you know," he said tersely to Obi Wan, thinking that perhaps the best way to deal with this Jedi was to speak honestly.

"Then there are a couple of things that you must be prepared to face," Obi Wan advised, surprising Anakin when he didn't press him any further. "Things that you need to know and things that we also need to know about you."

Anakin was feeling a bit irritated with this Jedi. "Listen," he said, "I'll tell you whatever you want, even the Emperors blood type, I don't care. I just need to know that she's ok."

Obi Wan was taken aback a bit by the young mans determination. He studied him for a while and finally said, "Follow me then. I'll take you to her."

The hidden Jedi temple in Naboo was a sacred place hidden deep inside the planets wild forests. The temple was difficult to locate and the way was only known by the Jedi and a selected few they chose to trust.

The black hooded figure watched the entrance to the temple. The troops at his command readied their weapons. He felt a sense of satisfaction, knowing that the he would be the vehicle that helped the Emperor destroy the Jedi. The Emperor had always known where the temple lay. Why he didn't destroy the temple was a mystery. Stranger still was that the Emperor didn't even confide the location of the temple to Vader. Perhaps the Emperor already knew that his perfect killing machine would in the end betray him.

Darth Maul signaled the troops around him. He made sure that Master Yoda was far away in Theed in order for the slaughter of the other Jedi to begin. On his command the soldiers descended upon the temple. A rise of shouts and screams began to fill in the air as Darth Maul helped cut down the more powerful of the Jedi.

Obi Wan stopped and whirled around to face Anakin, his hand going to his weapon on his side.

"I sense it too," Anakin said, his hand already holding his own weapon. "There are Jedi being slaughtered."

"Will you help me?" Obi Wan asked, knowing that this was the moment in which Master Yoda's prophetic words were being tested. "We're close to the temple. Padme is there."

"Then what are we waiting for!" exclaimed Anakin. "We haven't a moment to loose!"

Bariss Offee knew that it was only a matter of time before the Stormtroopers broke past their defenses. Their communications had been cut a minute before the massacre of the Jedi had begun. She had raced toward the hospital wing of the temple, knowing that if anyone were to survive it was Commander Padme's children.

"Take the children to a safe haven," Offee commanded Captain Sabe. "We don't have much time!"

"How can this be?" Sabe cried out. "There was no way that we couldn't have seen them coming! The war is practically over! This can't be!"

"I told you that this isn't over for some of us!" cried out Offee. "You must take these children to safety! Already that monster is coming toward the few younglings here! Master Yoda won't be able to reach us on time!"

"And Commander Padme?"

"She'll only slow you down!" cried Offee, handing the small bundles to Sabe. "Go through the hidden portals I've shown you! Go, now!"

Sabe turned to see her unconscious friend lying on the medical bed. The children coed in her arms and seemed oblivious to the chaos around them. With tears in her eyes, Sabe forced herself to turn her back away from her friend and ran.


	8. Battles

Anakin and Kenobi saw the smoke coming from the mountain where the temple was hidden. Obi Wan was in disbelief. All this time, the Emperor must have known where the temple lay. He turned to see Anakin. The younger man's expression was unreadable as he scanned the area around him.

"There are guards standing by the entrance," he said.

"How did they know?" Obi Wan asked. "How did they know where we were?"

Anakin said nothing. A vain in his temple throbbed, knowing what the older Jedi would guess by his silence.

"You knew," Obi Wan said, almost accusingly.

"I didn't think he did," Anakin said simply. "I didn't tell him, if that's what you think. Listen, we can get into this impending argument, but at this point, you'll just have to take my word for it. We need to go in there and stop them, don't you think?"

"Fine, but we aren't finished," Obi Wan insisted, unsure of the young man beside him.

"Is there another way into the temple?" Anakin asked.

"Just the front entrance," Obi Wan replied.

"Great," Anakin said, "then we're just going to have to blast our way through."

Bariss Orfee looked down at Padme and sighed. She knew that she couldn't stay around to save the Senator. The others needed her, especially the younglings that needed to be taken out of the temple to safety. Padme slowly opened her eyes and saw Orfee's face swim before her.

"Are they safe?" she asked, tears streamed down her face.

"They were our first priority," Bariss told her in earnest. "They are safe now. No harm can come to them. Commander, I must leave now. The others need me."

As she saw Padme's eyes flutter shut, she doubted the Commander heard her at all. She sighed, felt pity for the young woman, but knew that her duty now was with the younglings that needed her.

Padme Amidala felt numb. She felt weak, unable to move. She had heard the Jedi Healer say that she was perfectly healthy, but was willing herself to die. Padme just couldn't face what she'd done. She betrayed everything she stood for and the people that believe in her, all in one night. The look of pity in her friend's eyes when they saw her seared her soul. She couldn't face the chaos inside her, the empty loss she felt at not seeing Anakin again. A sob escaped her, hoping the end would come soon. At least, she thought, Luke and Leia are safe.

Anakin fought beside Obi Wan. They managed to fight off the Stormtroopers at the entrance of the temple. Obi Wan tried to remain calm, even when he saw other Jedi dead around him. Anakin kept his own senses leveled. Anger at the Emperor and at himself seethed inside him. He vowed with each stroke of his saber that he would make the Emperor pay.

"Where is Padme?" he asked as he deflected a blast from Stormtrooper fire.

"She would be in the medical ward, down that other hall," Obi Wan said, pointing toward the direction.

"Why is she there?" Anakin asked, alarmed. "I'm going after her!"

"Wait, we need to take down the Stormtroopers fist!" Obi Wan reminded him. "We need to take care of them before we make sure that anyone is fine!"

"What?" Anakin said, disagreeing with the older man's logic. "I can't leave her!"

"Even if you wanted to, you'll need to get through those other soldiers by the adjacent corridor! Look! They're heading this way!"

As Anakin and Obi Wan fought their way through the barrage of attacks, General Cody noticed that his troops were taking heavy blows. Even with all the Jedi dead, those remaining were able to make considerable damage to his troops.

"Sir!" General Cody called out to cloaked figure beside him. "Vader has been spotted. He's with that other Jedi, an Obi Wan Kenobi."

"That traitor won't escape us," promised Darth Maul in a cold raspy voice. "Leave him to me."

As Obi Wan and Anakin fought their way through the burning temple, Maul appeared though the thick smoke, blocking their way. His expression showed one of intense hatred. Anakin knew that the Emperor would eventually send someone to hunt him down. He suspected that Maul had only been too eager to take his place at the Emperor's side. If Darth Vader was said to have no heart, Maul existed without a soul. He didn't flinch or give anything or anyone a second thought. As far as he was concerned, only the Emperor and the Dark Side of the Force was what mattered.

"I'll take care of him," Anakin told Obi Wan.

"There isn't time," Obi Wan said. "You must get to the Commander. It's imperative that you help her first. I'll take care of him."

"No!" Anakin insisted. "He's here because of me. I need to deal with him first."

"This isn't the time to argue!" insisted Kenobi. He nudged Anakin toward the direction where Padme was. "Take my word for it! Padme needs you more now than the Emperor's personal vendetta."

Anakin hesitated, thinking that the older Jedi was out of his league where Maul was concerned. Yet Kenobi's insistence about Padme and the fact that she might be in danger forced the young man to walk away from yet another battle.

Maul sneered as he saw Anakin turn away from him. He was about to follow when the other Jedi stepped in front of his path.

"Remember me?" Kenobi asked, removing his robe.

"Jedi!" Maul said in disgust. "Killing you will only take a second. I have a greater foe to face in Vader."

"I'm sorry to have to cancel your appointment," began Kenobi. "I'm afraid you won't be able to make it."

"Jedi, it's you who will be sorry!" seethed Maul.

"I very much doubt that getting rid of you will make me sorry," Kenobi countered, blocking Mauls first waves of attacks.

Anakin raced down the corridor, trails of smoke filled the air. He stopped by a big brass door, he sensed other living beings on the other side. He readied his sword; unsure if through the doors was the best way to reach Padme. He decided to take a chance and pressed ahead.

The brass doors opened automatically. Anakin was surprised, not knowing what to expect. He entered the room with caution, noticing that the room held a certain air of power. It seemed to be a large conference room, with several furnitings positioned around in a circle. The room was darkly lit; he was about to leave when he heard soft whispers coming from behind the furnitings.

"Come out!" he commanded.

Almost instantly Anakin began to see younglings step out of hiding. Anakin stopped, a bit shock to realize that children might still be within the Temple. There were about eight children altogether; easy targets for those that sought to destroy them. Anakin could still hear the fighting outside. It was difficult to tell who was winning the battle, yet he knew that it was up to him to make sure that these children survived.

Not sure what to say to children, since he'd really never had to deal with them; one of the older children approached him. "What shall we do, Master?" he asked tentatively.

Anakin was taken aback. He looked around the expressive and innocent faces that looked at him with a mixture of hope and worry.

Anakin hesitated, knowing that he didn't have time to waste, but it wasn't as though he had the luxury to sacrifice the children to the Emperor either.Something about their air of innocence moved him. "You must follow me quietly," he told them, and just as soon as he said that, he wanted to kick himself for not knowing where exactly he should lead them to.

Another child brightened and smiled. "You are The Chosen One," he said in awe. "You've come to save us all."

The Jedi's continued to fight against the Emperor's troops. General Cody knew that it was a matter of time before the Rebels knew of the Temple's invasion. His troops wouldn't stand a chance of getting out. If Maul was engaged, he knew that it would be up to him to carry out the Emperors orders.

As he struck down another Padawan learner, General Cody singled out his troops to begin a massive search for Commander Padme. He relayed that they had no more than ten minutes to search out the Commander, ignite the bombs put in place at the Temple and leave before they were unable to get out.

Kenobi fought Maul and deflected the Sith's attacks. He acknowledged that perhaps the Dark Sith was more capable at sword fighting than he was. Kenobi trusted in the force to see him through and hoped that Master Yoda would soon be back with some of the elder Jedi in time to save what was left of the Temple and the few remaining Jedi.

Kenobi studied Mauls attacks. They were swift and calculating, almost taunting. Every stroke of Maul's blade felt as though it came closer to ending Kenobi's life, but the Jedi refused to flinch. He connected with the Force, allowing the energy flow through him. He channeled the energy, beginning to anticipate Mauls attacks. He let the Force speak to him, and as Mauls appeared to gain momentum, it was Kenobi who began to attack back with greater force. For a moment, Mauls eyes widen in surprise, but his expression retuned to that of resolve as he realized his fatal mistake in allowing Kenobi to take the defensive. Kenobi's weapon deflected Mauls. Maul raised his sword one more time, but his reaction was slow in coming. Kenobi saw a window of opportunity and took it; cutting through skin and bone. Maul looked at Kenobi, mouth agape as he fell down dead on the floor.

Anakin led the children through an empty corridor, trying to shield them from the horror around them. One of the younger children automatically clung to his robes; endearing him to Anakin. He led them away from the fighting, hoping to see another Jedi that could help take the children to safety. He motioned for the children to press up against a wall as footsteps were heard running through a corridor. Retreating down from where they came wasn't an option. Anakin was determined not to fail the younglings. This determination brought him a sense of empowerment he'd never felt before. He'd really never had to think about anyone else's safety other than his own. The fact that he was willing to die to protect these small beings gave him a surreal feeling, as if he was growing a second skin, evolving.

The footsteps came closer.

"Stay here," Anakin cautioned. "You must be brave. No one will hurt you. I promise you."

The children nodded, too shocked or too scared to speak.

As the footsteps approached, Anakin lit his saber, holding it up high, ready to strike. At that moment Iluminaria Undi stopped, her sword flashing in front of her. She saw the younglings Bariss had left in the conference room with Vader. A strange coldness crept within her breast. The hope of the Jedi was left with those few children. She wouldn't let Vader destroy them.

"Wait," Anakin said, deflecting her blows. "You don't understand. I mean them no harm!"

"Lies!" Iluminaria cried. "We suffer now because of you!"

"You don't understand!" Anakin tried to explain, resisting the urge to push back and end this once and for all. "I'm trying to help you!"

Iluminaria reached out with the Force and stopped when she felt an overwhelming energy surround Vader. She never felt such a strong power before. Master Yoda radiated something similar, yet the Force that surrounded Vader crackled with strength… hope.

"It's true what they say about you," she said. "Are you the Chosen One?"

One child stepped forward, taking Anakin's hand. "He'll lead the way, Master."

Iluminaria looked at the children. There wasn't terror in their expression when they looked at Vader, but awe. There was hope in their young faces. Iluminaria still held doubts, but suspected that if Vader was the origin of the attacks of the Temple, he wouldn't have taken the time to speak to her, nor would he have cared about the children's safety.

"There must be a way out of here," Anakin said, not answering Iluminaria's question.

"There are too many soldiers," Iluminaria informed. "But there is a way through the next corridor. That's where I was going to take the children."

"Then go," Anakin prompted. "There is something I must do. The children will be safe with you." He hesitated then, thinking that he didn't know which way to proceed then.

"Your path lies that way," Iluminaria told him, pointing the way down another hall. "The troops will soon reach that area. I suspect you will find what you're looking for there."

Anakin and Iluminaria's eyes met a hint of knowing clouding her eyes. Anakin nodded and looked down at the small child still holding his hand. "Go with her now," he said.

General Cody looked at the woman lying on the medical bed. She looked frail, but very much alive. The sensors on the medical bed indicated that the woman was fighting off an infection. All this General Cody analyzed and read, pointing his weapon at the woman's temple. The whole place, he knew, was about to detonate in less than five minutes. He wouldn't have time to carry the woman out with him, but he knew that the Emperor would want to make sure that Padme were dead if he were unable to get her away. The beauty of the woman caught his eye. Never really taking an interest in the appearance of a female, something about the woman made him hesitate for a moment, a fraction of a second, just before he pulled the trigger.

Anakin saw the soldier standing beside Padme. He recognized him as General Cody. His heart lurched. Padme lay unmoving on the bed. Rage surged through Anakin. With a wave of his hand, he lifted General Cody's body up, just as the soldier took the first shot at Padme. The fire from his weapon barely missed Padme's temple. Anakin closed his fists, letting his anger control him. A series of crunches were heard coming from the suspended body. General Cody's body twitched until his limbs hung loosely by his sides. With another wave of his hand, Anakin hurled the body through the room, not caring about the end of a Stormtroopers life. Flecks of red gleamed in Anakin's eyes.

Master Yoda and Master Windu arrived at the temple just when Kenobi and the surviving Jedi stepped out.

"Masters," Kenobi said quickly, "The Temple is in chaos. There were several bombs placed inside, we were only able to find a few, but I'm afraid it's too late to search out for the rest!"

He gave the older Jedi Masters no time to react as they watched the burning Temple. Already they began to hear explosions go off inside.

Anakin looked down at Padme, tears clouding his eyes. He couldn't believe that he had the strength to leave her when he did. She seemed ethereal, unattainable. He pushed back a lock of hair letting his fingers trail the perfect form of her face. How he wanted to desperately kiss her, yet the place where they were and the danger they were in forced him to move quickly. She wasn't responding when he called out her name. As he lifted her from the bed, the first explosions began to rock the temple walls. Anakin held onto Padme, thinking that even if he didn't make it out of the Temple alive, he wouldn't care. He had what he came looking for. He didn't plan beyond that point and yet looking down at Padme's form, Anakin determined that he couldn't let them die. He wanted to wake up the next day knowing that she was still with him in this world.

"There is no way out of there," Master Windu said, seeing the explosions bring down boulders from the mountains.

"We were only able to save those remaining Jedi," Kenobi said, looking around at his companions.

Iluminaria stood beside him, letting the children cluster around them. A look of fear marred their young faces. "The Chosen One that Master Yoda speaks of is still in there," she said.

"So is Commander Padme," Kenobi added.

"It is a pity," Iluminaria said, "that we will never know if he was the Chosen One."

"Still doubt, do you?" Master Yoda asked. "The Emperor he must face. This will not be over until dead, the Emperor is."

Padme opened her eyes. She thought she was dreaming as she watched the face above hers. She never though she would feel his strong arms holding her again.

"Padme!" Anakin said, looking down at her. Floods of emotions coursed though both of them as their eyes locked. Padme reached up with her hand, her fingers tentatively touching his lower lips. A shudder went though Anakin as he closed his eyes; feeling her cool fingers tracing his mouth.

"Ani," she said, "I'm dreaming."

"No," Anakin whispered hoarsely. "I am such a fool!"

Another explosion rocked the temple as debris began to fall around them. Padme clung to Anakin, unsure of what was happening around her.

"Padme, I'd love for us to catch up, but we've got a problem in our hands," Anakin said, trying to remember what way Iluminaria and the children went.

Padme forced herself to look around; trying to remembering the pathway Bariss had spoken about that led outside the temple. "There should be a hatch close by," she said, pointing towards the way. "I think it leads outside."

"It's the only chance we've got before these walls topple over us," Anakin said, noticing that Padme began to close her eyes once again. "Just stay with me Padme," he silently implored as he tried to move them towards safety.


	9. Aftermath

**Finally I added another chapter! Yeah! (I know, it only took about a year...the nerve!) I haven't forgotten this story, but I was really stuck as to how to continue. I have, however, found an idea I was toying with and although the story isn't completely clear, I am determined to finish. Thank you to all of those that read and have been proding me to finish or at least continue. Please comment as it's always helpfull to know what you guys think. Enjoy!**

Anakin tried not to cry. Of all the things he's done in his lifetime, nothing had ever broken him except his present reality. Despair was an emotion he often used on his enemies and now that very emotion dug into him and literately brought him to his knees. Tears bathed his face as he felt Padme's life seeping from her. He held her to him as he raced them outside of the burning Jedi Temple. He couldn't take her away on his ship because he was afraid she wouldn't survive that sort of trip.

In a last desperate effort, Anakin decided to take her to the only place he knew she would be comfortable. He only preyed that he wouldn't make matters worse when she found out exactly where he had taken her; that was if she survived the journey there. He realized that he'd rather have her angry, wishing him dead, than loose her completely and not know another day without her. He paused to look at her ashen face and momentarily wondered what it was that made her so ill. Once again, Anakin looked into the Force and prayed that it would give him an answer.

Obi Wan was concerned. The Temple lay in shambles and although he was sure the Jedi's could rebuild, he wondered how long it would take for the young man he met to face the Emperor, if indeed that is what he was born to do. He could only hope that Master Yoda was correct in his predictions, although something else troubled him. How long have the Jedi preached that attachment of any kind would take away a Jedi's focus on the Force? Here was definite proof of what his old Master, Qui Gon had previously suspected. Anakin Skywalker's attachment to Padme did not weaken him but made him stronger. In some twisted way, Skywalker found his way from the darkness because of love. Was it really all that simple? Obi Wan had felt it radiate from the young man as he searched for Padme and only now realized what it was that he had felt flow through the Force from the young man. On this and many other doubts Obi Wan decided to further meditate, hoping that maybe he could once again connect to his old Master for guidiance.

Padme was screaming. "Anakin!" she called out. "Help me!"

Anakin woke up in a cold sweat. He was alone. He searched frantically in the darkness and found the space beside him in bed cold and empty.

"Padme!" he tried calling out.

He was sure she had been there beside him. He had stayed beside her for days, monitoring Padme's progress. He had nothing with him except the power of the Force ebbing through him. In a last desperate attempt, he connected to Padme and began to give her his own strength, trying to heal her through the Force. As he closed his eyes and touched his fingertips to the temple of her forehead, he saw bits and pieces of her own life revealed to him. Her childhood, her early struggles in the political and military arena, especially after she had lost her own family, and something more. Something that he couldn't quite reach because his own ears began ringing with cries of babies. He had suddenly broken away from Padme. Why was she haunted by crying babies?

Anakin raced outside the ruined home. It was practically in shambles, almost reduced to rubble and yet, it faced a breathtaking view of a crystal blue lake. Anakin knew personally that this home had been intact and bustling with life only months before, before the Emperor decided to focus his attacks on Naboo, bent on destroying Padme and her rebel forces.

Anakin didn't have to go far. Padme's small frame faced the lake. She seemed small and fragile. Anakin's eyes widen in amazement. She was shivering, wet. He was amazed that she even had the strength, much less the gaul to swim in the lake, especially after everything she'd been through. He approached her tentatively.

Padme had felt Anakin approach her. She flinched as he came close. Before he could utter a word, she said, "I couldn't do it."

"Do what?" he asked, his voice sounding hoarse.

"Let myself stay down there, in the water," she confessed, her voice cracking in emotion. She didn't dare look at him. "Everyone is gone because of me!"

"Why would you say that?" Anakin asked horrified at her confession. "They're alive because of what you've done! Your strength!"

At that point Padme turned and gave him an icy glare, almost as if she hated the very sight of him.

"I was almost dead because of what I've done with you!" she cried out. "You did something to me! I was never this weak! There was a time I could have faced anything and then you come…"

She looked away, ashamed. Her words, especially the anger in her eyes pierced him through his soul.

"I never saw this," Anakin said coming to stand beside her. "When our paths crossed, I had meant to do as what the Emperor bid. You were right about me. I only did what he asked, I never questioned, never thought about the others that fell before my sword. And all I do is see your face, a picture of you and for the first time, you're all that I can think about. I am someone else because of you. I'm not even sure who I am anymore, but I know that I cannot go back to who I was." Anakin dared face her, his features showing traces of vulnerability, "I can't."

Padme looked around her. "Yet you choose to bring me here," she said. "A changed man and you choose to bring me here, where my parents died, where your people destroyed everything I held most dear?"

Anakin hung his head. "I brought you home," he whispered. "I didn't know where else to go. Your people and mine are after me now."

"You deserve to die, you know," Padme said coldly, repeating what she had told him the first time they met. She shivered as she looked away from him.

"I know," Anakin said, hating the wall she had build up so quickly. "There are many reasons why I should die, but none why you should. Why?"

Padme bit her lower lip. Dare she confess that she was trying to get rid the feelings he provoke in her? The feelings that tore her inside and was too ashamed to confess even to herself? She wanted to fight back for herself, but in a moment of despair she had jumped in the lake determined never to emerge from the cold waters. And then she heard the cries of babies. Her babies and his. She needed to find them. She needed to continue living for them for surely the Emperor would be after them if he found out who their father was. She glanced uncertainly at Anakin.

"So now you're on the run," she said. "What next?"

"I don't know," Anakin replied. "I just wanted to save you."

Padme had to stop from rolling her eyes. The irony of what he said! Didn't he know that the only person she needed saving from was herself? At this very moment a part of her ached to feel him close, to have him touch her. She wrapped her arms closer to herself, loathing the uncontrollable emotions beating inside her. Yet, she needed to protect her children. She needed to know that if anything happened to her, he was willing to protect them as well.

Anakin observed Padme and knew that she was battling with something inside, as though she was second guessing herself in some way.

"What made you ill?" he suddenly asked. "The monitors in the medic bay said you were dying."

"You made it to the Temple!" Padme excalimed, suddenly remembering. "What happened to the Jedi?!" She grasped at his arm, worry etched in her otherwise flawless features.

"They're fine!" Anakin exclaimed, feeling just a bit insulted that she would suspect him of harming them. "But you, Padme. I detected nothing really wrong with you. At least not physically." Padme stood silent, unmoving. "Why are you also haunted by crying children?" Anakin suddenly dare ask. "What happened to you Padme?"

"You happened!" she suddenly snapped. "You!"

"Padme, I…" Anakin began. "Do you want me to apologize?! I'm sorry, but not for this…"

He then grasped her arms and pulled her close, kissing her with bruising force. He tasted her despite her protests. Her beauty, her anger all mixed with her frailty numbed his very senses. When the kissing deepened, it was Padme that pulled him closer, her fingers digging into his scalp. She opened her mouth wider, letting his tongue taste her, dueling her tongue with his.

When Anakin managed to break apart, he began to speak, but Padme simply told him to shut up as she brought his mouth to hers for more. She wasn't sure how they ended up in her old bedroom, or how he managed to disrobe himself and her in the process. Padme just knew that there was an ache inside her she tried to fan out and cried out the moment Anakin penetrated her from above. Padme spread her legs wider and lifted her hips as he thrust in deeper. Padme wanted to forget, she wanted to disappear in the emotions he produced in her and did not realize when Anakin put his fingers against her temple, commanding her to open up her eyes. She suddenly saw him inside her head, searching, invading every part of her. She, in turn, saw a lonely boy stare back at her. He was alone save for the few moments he found with her. In his mind she saw him looking through her window as she dressed in this very room, undetected. She felt his growing desire for her, his obsession to have her. As his thrusting continued, Padme suddenly broke contact and began to scream as a violent orgasm assailed her. She grasped at the cool satin sheet underneath her, wrapping her legs around Anakin's torso as she milked every ounce of him inside her.

It was then that Anakin understood what was wrong with Padme. She feared herself with him, especially now that they had a greater link between them.

As Anakin and Padme shuddered in the aftermath of their union, Anakin looked down at her and asked, "When were you going to tell me about the children?"


	10. At Odds

Bail Organa watched the sleeping infants in the room his wife had prepared for them. When the Jedi first contacted him about hiding two of them, he was more than pleased to learn that they were newborn babies. That made his job easier, for his wife and the Senator had always wanted children of their own. They had originally planned to adopt one child, a little girl, but two children, twins no less, was a blessing indeed.

"They are so beautiful," his wife said coming up beside him. She caressed the soft cheek of the small baby boy. "They've only been with us a few days, and yet I feel as though we've had them a lifetime."

Her husband laughed. "Have they tired you out already?"

"No!" his wife exclaimed. Her dark eyes softened as she embraced her husband. "I just didn't know what a big hole I had in my heart until I held them both close."

Organa chuckled. "Luke and Leia. They are very special indeed. The Jedi who gave them to me told me so."

"No more talk of Jedi," his wife protested. She looked up into his eyes. "I don't want to know! Their life before, the situation by which they came, it all doesn't matter now! They're ours and no Jedi, nor anything connected to their past will take them from us! Promise me!"

Organa saw the determination in his wife's eyes. He couldn't bare to see her suffer, especially since he could never give her any of their own. He wanted to always see the joy shining in her eyes, especially now since the twins came into their lives.

"Well, I will promise you, my dear wife, that for as long as I breath, these children, you and I will always be together," he swore, holding his wife close to his heart.

Yoda and Obi Wan had taken the surviving Jedi to a secret training ground deep within the forest of Naboo. It was not only a secret sanctuary used by the Jedi for training and meditation, and now a safe haven for them to recuperate their strength and determine their numbers.

"Outside of Naboo," began Master Yoda, "difficult to determine our numbers."

"We are lucky to have gotten the children out," commented Obi Wan. "Even the youngest of Padawan learners were forced to confront our enemies today."

"Saw a youngling, stand against Stormtroopers," confessed Master Yoda. "Not a scene care I to see again. Sadly, survived he did not."

Obi Wan nodded, deep in thought and then dared to ask, "Master, is it possible that some of the basic teachings of the Jedi are flawed?"

"Never doubt, Obi Wan," the older Jedi seemed to snap. "Doubt clouds your mind."

"Not doubt," Obi Wan persisted. "However, you yourself have said that we must always question even what has been established to be true!

"Up to a point!" Master Yoda exclaimed. "Established laws, beliefs, there for a purpose."

"I do not mean to be disrespectful, Master, " Obi Wan pointed out. "It's just that if Darth Vader is the Chosen One…"

"Sensed that in him, you did?" Yoda asked.

"I sense something, yes," Obi Wan confirmed. "Also, his attachment to Commander Amidala…"

"…can be his downfall," Master Yoda finished.

"What if it isn't?" asked Obi Wan. "His attachment to her changed everything. I'm going to find them, Master," Obi Wan then told the older Jedi. "If he is The Chosen One, then we must guide him."

"Unstable, he is," Master Yoda replied thoughtfully.

"More reason for me to find him and Commander Amidala."

"Have an idea of where you can start," Yoda told Obi Wan.

"What of the twins?" asked Kenobi.

"Arrived safely to the Organa's home world," answered Yoda. "Safe they are, especially from their father."

Padme met Anakin outside the veranda of her room. She had cleaned herself and found fresh clothes that were still in the closet of her room. She wore a simple blue gown with a bright red sash in the middle. Her chocolate brown curls hung long and loose behind her back. Despite the loss of weight, she still possessed an air or regal beauty.

"Where are they?" Anakin asked, facing the gardens below the veranda.

"I don't know," Padme replied in a low voice, knowing that she asked her about their children. "The Jedi took them away."

Anakin suddenly turned to look at her. "They just left you there?" he asked in shock.

"It wasn't as though they had a choice!" Padme exclaimed. "They had done everything they could for me, but time ran out. The children had to be protected! You saw what the Emperor's troops did to the Temple!"

"It was a massacre," Anakin said, his thoughts going back to what he had seen.

"Did you lead them there?" Padme asked, suddenly ill at the thought.

"No!" Anakin cried out, disturbed that she would still be weary of him. "I couldn't, not after you… after this."

Padme suddenly felt awkward. She barely knew Anakin and yet he had managed to radically change her life in the scant of a few moments. Then it dawned on her that his life had been altered as well. He didn't seem as sure as before and the ruthless gleam in his eyes she had detected before wasn't there anymore. Still, he was practically a stranger and the only emotional connected they seemed to have was more on a physical level. She didn't really know who he was and she was determined to maintain her distance. For now she needed him in order to find her children.

"We will need to look for the Jedi in order to look for the children," Anakin began, the reality that those children were his was hard for him to fathom at the moment. "Do you feel strong enough to come with me?"

"Then what?" Padme dared asked. "I wont let them Emperor have them."

Something in Anakin snapped. His eyes almost gleamed red. Padme took a step back as she sensed his old self snapping back into life.

"I am not the animal you think I am!" he insisted through clenched teeth. "Weather you believe me or not I'm not going to just hand them over to the Emperor! I was practically his slave!"

"You could of fooled me," Padme managed to whisper. "How can I trust that what you say is true?"

Her words cut deep. She still harbor distrust and perhaps with good reason.

"You'll just have to trust me," replied Anakin. "I didn't give you over to the Emperor. What makes you think I will give our children over to him?"

It was the first time Anakin had acknowledged his parentage. Padme didn't know weather to feel relieved or worried. She was unsure of her relationship with Anakin and still more unsure of what her path should be at the moment. The only thing she was sure of was that she needed to find her children. The empty void she felt inside her heart was starting to become more acute. She didn't even have time to really bond with her children, to hold them against her and feel their warmth. They were just taken away and although she knew that it was for their protection, she couldn't subdue the guilt growing inside her for not being strong enough to protect them herself.

The Emperor looked around him in anger. All those that he had manipulated and held to his side but all had betrayed and abandoned him, especially Darth Vader. He had sensed early on Vader's potential and fought to suppress all that was human inside him. Now he knew how wrong he had been when it came to his hidden emotions. The minute Commander Amidala made her presence known, Vader had begun an inward battle. The Emperor knew that Vader was intrigued by the Commander, perhaps even fascinated. He wasn't fooled by the icy appearance of his right hand man. What he didn't count on was how strong Vader's attachment would be to the Commander once he had her within reach. He had underestimated human feelings in this regard.

Yet he knew that he had one more recourse in order to bring his vengeance upon those who Vader had grown attached. He would destroy Vader and all those he had sided with and knew that Vader himself would bring about that destruction.

Kenobi scanned the horizon as his ship surveyed the area Yoda had told him he would find Darth Vader and Padme. There was a stillness about the lake area as his ship approached the sprawling estate facing the lake. It was a beautiful home surrounded by gardens and was once known to have belonged to Commander Amidala and her family. Now parts of it lay in shambles, much like a lot of Naboo, Kenobi thought silently.

His ship skidded above the water as Kenobi managed to find a clearing near the gardens where to land. He was unsure of what or who he would find there and as he connected into the Force, he sensed a familiar presence.


	11. The Agreement

"Get inside!" Anakin suddenly ordered Padme, seeing an approaching ship in the horizon.

"That's a Jedi ship," Padme said, seeing the same ship inching closer. "I'm not going inside. The Jedi would never hurt me."

For a moment Anakin and Padme stared at one another. Anakin could almost sense her silent accusation at the harm he had done her. It bothered him that she harbored mistrust toward his intentions and with good reason.

"I'll prove it to you," he said suddenly.

"What?" Padme asked, her eyes darting to the approaching ship.

"I'll not hurt you again Padme," Anakin said with determination. "I'm not good at this, apologizing, admitting my faults."

"This isn't the time!" Padme said wondering if the approaching Jedi was coming to rescue her and challenge Anakin in the process.

Anakin had an idea of who the approaching Jedi was, but he felt it was important to tell Padme what he harbored within. For the first time he was unsure of what to do. Her very presence threw him, he found himself questioning his actions, his own motives. For the longest time she was the only beacon of light he held onto as he fought his personal demons. He just didn't plan for what he would do when he was actually face to face with her again. He realized that his real battle for her began at that very moment and in order to have a chance to win her heart he would have to prove himself to her through other means.

"You need to know," Anakin insisted. "What I did to you… what I've done… I know I can't take it all back. Quite frankly I wouldn't want to…"

Padme almost turned away at his mediocre confession.

"Wait," he insisted. "You don't deserve it. There isn't anything I can say to make things better, but I swear to you, Padme… I will never hurt you again. You have every right not to believe me, but I will fight with every ounce of strength I have to show you the truth in what I've said."

Padme looked away, crossing her arms in a protective gesture. Tears shone in her eyes because she very much wanted to hate him for everything he's done, but she knew inside that if she wanted to stop him, it had always been in her power to do so. She knew with certainty that she was in this very situation because she also actively participated in her own demise. She couldn't hate him, not when she felt so drawn to him, not when her own skin burned to feel his touch even now. Hot tears poured down her cheeks as she grew angry at her own weakness.

Anakin saw Padme's reaction and felt that instead of gaining a bit of Padme's trust, he had possibly widen the chasm between them even more.

Obi Wan Kenobi walked toward Anakin and Padme. He finally reached them, right where Master Yoda suspected they might be. Anakin reached for his lightsaber, still mistrustful of the older Jedi.

"That will be unnecessary," Kenobi said, stopping before Anakin. He then glanced at Padme and said, "Commander, it's good to see that you are well."

"Alive, you mean," Anakin cut in. "You Jedi left her for dead."

"Do not accuse Master Kenobi!" Padme snapped. "This is not his fault, nor the Jedi!"

Her eyes cut into Anakin's, daring him to challenge what she said.

"Why are you here?" Anakin asked, looking away from Padme.

"We need to end this now," Obi Wan replied. "The Emperor is at his weakest point. He has no more defenses. Will you finish what you've started, Anakin? Or shall we continue to call you Lord Vader?"

Anakin gripped his lighsaber, clenching his teeth at the sound of his old name. "You want this nightmare to finish as do I," Anakin said, choosing his words carefully. "However, you Jedi underestimate the Emperor if you think you can make him give up so easily. He'll never stand trial."

"We never presumed he would," Kenobi agreed.

"You want to kill him," Anakin guessed.

"He can't go on enslaving everyone in the galaxy to his will," Kenobi added.

"You want him to kill the Emperor," Padme interjected. "I've never known you Jedi to outright advocate someone's murder. I've always heard Master Yoda talk about bringing him to trial, never murdering him."

"It's gone way beyond that," Kenobi replied, his expression grieved. "Even you know that, Padme. The Rebellion never had qualms about taking hits out on him before."

"How fitting for you Jedi," Padme said, disappointed that the Order had come down to that. "We weren't successful, but how perfect for us all that we have the Emperor's own assassin here to do that job for us."

Padme didn't mean to be so judgmental of the Jedi. She had always admired the Order, the people who worked tirelessly for the freedom of her people and the galaxy. She was, however, sadden to see what toll the war had taken on everyone, even the principles of the Jedi.

"Very well," Anakin suddenly agreed, surprising both Padme and Kenobi. "It's what I do best, isn't it?" he asked with a bit of coldness in his voice. "If killing the Emperor is what I must do to be free of all of this then I'll do it. I just want one thing in return."

Kenobi raised an eyebrow, sensing that Anakin's request wouldn't be so simple to carry out. "We have no money," Kenobi said, testing the younger man.

"You don't know me very well," Anakin said, not surprised that the older man would have such low expectations of him. He knew that it would take an extraordinary will on his part to show Padme that he was a changed man. He reasoned that if Padme were to have a bit of respect for him then he would even be willing to join the Jedi to accomplish that task.

"I assume you know where our children are," Anakin revealed, knowing that he didn't need to give any further explanation. "Give the children back to Padme and I will join you in ending the Emperor's life."

"They are in safe hands," Kenobi replied, his gaze softening as he turned to look at Padme.

"They would be safer with their mother," Anakin insisted. "Give them back to her and I will not only help you bring down the Emperor, but I will lead you to the Sith he's began to foster these past few years."

At the sound of this, Kenobi snapped his attention back to Anakin.

"What?" he asked in surprise.

"I'm not the only one," Anakin said. "Darth Maul wasn't the only one. There are others. Others the Emperor found that he began to recruit as children, as he's done with me and I suspect with those that came before me. I know what that life is like and I won't have my children follow in those footsteps. If I do this it will be for them alone, but you need to give them back to Padme. Those are my only conditions."

Obi Wan Kenobi was taken aback. More Sith! Not only Anakin, but more that were waiting in the wings that were like him.

"Why haven't we heard of this before?" asked Kenobi.

"You Jedi are sometimes easily fooled," Anakin replied, not intending on sounding as critical as he did. "If you kept searching for others that had gifts of a Jedi across the universe, what made you think that the Emperor wouldn't do the same for his own evil gain? He just never advertised like you Jedi."

Obi Wan nodded thoughtfully. "I will inform the council of this immediately," he said. "I will return with the council decision."

Kenobi then walked towards his ship while Anakin and Padme stood watching him go.

"More Sith, you say?" asked Yoda as he pondered upon the news Obi Wan had given him.

"Our situation is more precarious now if there are more Sith," Obi Wan said.

"Regardless of this news," Yoda told him, "the Emperor must still die."

"Anakin is willing to help us under one condition," Kenobi continued. "He wants his children back."

"Safe they are," Yoda said, shaking his head. "In danger they will be with their father."

"He wants them returned to their mother," Kenobi said.

"Too dangerous if other Sith exist," Yoda cautioned. "Better stay where they are."

"He will not help us otherwise," Kenobi warned.

"Convince him, you must," Yoda insisted. "The younglings will not be safe if exposed."

As Yoda and Obi Wan continued to talk about their next course of action, Padme tried to make sense out of her present situation.

"Do you think they will return the children to us?" Padme asked Anakin.

"They have no right to keep them!" Anakin exclaimed. "You are their mother!"

"Even if they were to return the children, how can we protect them?" she asked. "Perhaps they are better off where they are until all of this is over. I couldn't protect them when they were born!"

Suddenly Padme started to cry. She didn't want to appear weak, but since she lost her children, she began to doubt her capabilities. What if she couldn't protect them? Self doubt began to plague her. Anakin sensed this and forced her to look at him.

"Listen to me, Padme!" he insisted. "Regardless of what happened, they are our children! No one, no matter how good their intentions, have no right to decide upon our lives, upon our children! Despite this war, despite everything, the one thing we still have is the right to make our own choices, our own decisions! When we met you made me see, in that brief time, that I wasn't my own person. I didn't make a move without the Emperor commanding me, deciding for me. Do not let them do the same to you Padme. You are their mother. Only you can decide what is good for them."

Padme tried to regain her composure. "What about you, Anakin?" she asked. "Do you want them as well?"

"I want them with you," Anakin persisted. "Even if you never want to see me again, Padme. Even if you ask me not to interfere in your life, the life of our children, I want them to be with you. You just tell me you want the same thing and I will make it happen!"

Padme took a deep breath and looked into Anakin's eyes. There was so much depth and emotion there, that she was surprised that she never saw it before. At that moment Obi Wan returned to tell them of the council's decision. Before he spoke, Padme faced him and in a tone that broached no argument said, "Give me back my children!"

"Padme," Obi Wan began. "Your children are safe."

"That is for me to decide!" she insisted. "You had no right to give them away! You just handed them over! I never gave you permission to do no such thing!"

"You were ill," Obi Wan reminded her. "The Jedi only thought to save them."

"Of which I am eternally grateful, but they belong with me now. Tell me where they are."

"The council stands by their decision," Obi Wan began.

"Then the deal is off," Anakin cut in. "You want the Emperor, I can tell you where to find him, but I won't help you kill him."

"Your children are with Bail Organa and his wife on his home planet," Obi Wan informed them. "Although I agree with the council, you are the mother Padme. Yoda disagreed with me on this, but we are not parents. We have no power in matters concerning these. The Organa's are being informed of your request. You will have your children with you soon."

Padme unconsciously gripped Anakin's arm for support. Anakin turned to Obi Wan and nodded his thanks. It dawned on him at that moment that there would be no turning back and he would soon confront the Emperor himself.


	12. The Twins

**Yeah! Finally another chapter! I've included two quotes from an Indian film called Fanaa which I loved and inspired me to finally put yet another chapter to my poor abandoned story. I know, I should be shot (er…) you know what I mean! Anyway, I feel like I've gone over the hump and may finally get to the showdown between the Emperor and his ex apprentice. Yeah! I hope you guys enjoy, thanks for sticking with this story and as always, I don't own the characters nor Fanaa…**

Bail Organa faced the momentous task of telling his wife that they had to return the twins back to their mother. Padme Amidala had survived and now demanded her children back. Organa had sensed deep inside that the perfect moments he had shared with his new family might be brief and fleeting. What tortured him was the thought of his wife's reaction at loosing the children. She had spend every waking moment with them, taking care of their smallest need, refusing to let them out of her sight. She would sing to them and tell them stories before putting them to bed. Bail's favorite moments were the ones he shared with her as they fed the twins together late at night, commenting on which twin would finish their bottle the fastest. Now even those moments were fast becoming memories as the Jedi Master Yoda sent were already there, ready to take the twins back to their mother.

"Please wait here," he asked the Jedi. "Let me speak with my wife."

The two Jedi nodded as Bail went into the nursery to give his wife the sad news.

"I saw two Jedi land in the cargo bay," Bail's wife said before he could utter a word. Her back was to him as she contemplated the two sleeping children in their crib. "Tell me that they're only here to see how the children fare," she said with restraint emotion in her voice.

"My love, their mother is alive…"

"Then she shouldn't have let them out of her sight!" the Queen exclaimed, turning to face her husband. "How is this fair?" she exclaimed. "They are ours now! You promised that we would be together! They are our children!"

Bail couldn't bear the pain shining in his wife's eyes. He held her tight as she began sobbing and with much pain in his heart he managed to say, "It's time to let them go."

Padme paced her room, a knot of fear growing in her heart. She heard from the Jedi how attached the Queen and Bail Organa were to her children. She felt bad for them, but she couldn't let her children go that easily. She berated herself for being so weak, for not holding on to them when she had the chance. She wished she were stronger, that she hadn't suffered such moments of weakness.

"You shouldn't blame yourself so much," she heard Anakin's voice say behind her, guessing her thoughts. "They will be back with you, I promise you."

"In the meanwhile more people get hurt," Padme said facing him. "Other people who were taking care of them, who loved them all this time and I…"

"You will also be a good mother, Padme," Anakin reassured her.

"How…?" Padme stammered, tears streaming down her face. "I couldn't even keep them with me…"

"You were ill," Anakin reminded her. "The Jedi had no right to give them away.."

"They did what was best to keep them safe," Padme reminded him.

"They are safer with you," Anakin persisted.

Padme looked at him, doubt very much showing in her face. Anakin wanted very much to hold her and reassure her, but instead walked away and for the first time felt very much like a coward because he couldn't bear to see her suffer and he had no words to comfort her.

Luminara Unduli and her apprentice, Bariss Offee thought the Organa's were taking too long. "I will go in and see what has happened," said Offee to her Master.

"We must be careful and not charge into the room," cautioned Unduli. "This is a very delicate situation, charged to us by none other than Yoda himself. I fear that we have acted to rashly where these children are concerned, for safer they might have been if we would have kept them with us."

"Even so, Master," her pupil interjected. "They cannot be very safe in their own mother's arms. Remember who the father is…"

"It's not up to us to decide what is best for these children, no matter who their parents may be!" Unduli reminded her a bit harshly. "We have no say in this and it would do you good to bite your tongue young one in this matter."

Her pupil lowered her head, feeling that the chastisement was not necessary but was wise enough not to say another word on the subject. The situation was already too perilous and tense as it was and this, she reasoned, wasn't the moment to add fuel to the fire.

Bail Organa was forced to rush his wife out of the room quickly, her sobbs cutting straight into his heart. He knew that his wife may not recover so soon from such a harsh blow. His wife raced down the corridor, her loud sobs echoing down the hallway.

"Take them!" Bail ordered the Jedi harshly. "Take them now for I am inclined to fight for them if you don't leave here quickly!"

With that he raced down the hall in pursuit of his wife, feeling very much his own heart shattering inside.

The moment Padme spotted the Jedi ship landing, her heart gave a leap inside. Anakin was working on making some adjustments to his ship when he also heard the sound of an another air craft. He saw the look of apprehension and worry in Padme's face and felt very much the same emotions she was emanating in her face. He went to stand beside her and was disappointed to see her flinch at his proximity.

Luminara Unduli, joined by her apprentice and Master Kenobi, walked off the ship and made their way towards Padme and Anakin. Unduli and her apprentice held each twin in their arms. As soon as Padme spotted the small bundles she started racintg towards them, her heart pounding within her chest.

Anakin tried to reign in his own emotions, trying to keep at bay the feelings that threatened to overwealmed him. It was easier than he thought, having had years of suppressing his emotions. He was presently aware that he needed that control now more than ever since he had to begin to fully prepare himself mentality for the innevitable confrontation between himself and the Emperor. Kenobi had reminded him that as soon as the twins were delivered safely to Padme, they were to return to the Jedi's temporary sanctuary in order to receive further orders from Yoda in preparation for their confrontation of the Emperor.

Padme couldn't hold back her tears of joy as she held on tight to the first bundle.

"That is your daughter," Unduli told her.

"Leia," Padme quickly said, remembering the name she had given her. "My beautiful little girl," she sighed, looking at her daughter for the first time since giving birth to her. "I've waited so long just to hold you!"

"This is your son, Luke," Unduli continued as her apprentice held the boy close to Padme for her inspection.

"Oh, he's just as beautiful as his sister!" she cried out, leaning over to kiss Luke's small sleeping frame.

Anakin looked over Padme's shoulder daring to look at both his children.

"May I?" he asked as he leaned over to take his son from Offee's arms.

Bariss looked at Padme for approval, still unsure of how much trust she should place on someone with such a dark past as Anakin.

Padme nodded reluctantly, cradling Leia close to her breast. As soon as Bariss put Luke in his arms, Kenobi motioned the other Jedi to give the couple a bit of privacy. Anakin followed Padme silently into the room she had rushed to prepare for the twins. Anakin still couldn't believe that of everything he had done in his life, these two little life forms were the most precious things in his life. He glanced over at Padme who now sat on the edge of her bed cradling Leia in her arms. In that moment he swore that he would give his very life in order to allow Padme and his children to continue in the blissful moment that he shared with them presently. A fierce desire to protect them all suddenly spread inside him, feeding him with an intense feeling of power and purpose. 'Was this what people felt when they were willing to die at the hands of the Emperor, even when all their hope was gone?' Anakin wondered. 'Could this be what gave those people strength to continue fighting, knowing full well they might not survive?' He was willing to do the same, he realized, even if fighting meant that he might never see Padme nor the twins again. At least, he reasoned, they would all finally be safe.

**LATER...**

It had been a while since Anakin left Padme alone with the twins. He watched as Padme cradled the twins close to her through the windows of the veranda. Tears continued to stream down her face as she held onto them, a deep pure love reflected in her face as she softly whispered to them. Behind him Anakin could feel the older Jedi approach him.

"It's time," Obi Wan reminded him.

"Just one moment," Anakin said, not turning around to face him, but continue to observe the tender scene unfold before him. In his heart he swore he would carry that picture of Padme and his children in his heart forever, even if he would never see them again, it was that very picture of Padme and the twins that he would fight to keep safe from the Emperor.

Before he could tear himself away Anakin held up his hand in silent farewell and whispered, "_May my life's breath find refuge in your heart, destroyed in your love may my love depart_." It was a prayer Anakin had heard in a distant planet where it was believed that love worth living, even if it was a love that caused pain and destruction, led in the end to a path of enlightenment for that was when life granted the heart its greatest test of faith. Anakin never cared for such beliefs, however now that he was about to leave what he most desired, he realized that it was his own choices that was causing his already fragile relationship with Padme to continue onto a path of self -destruction.

Not really prepared to say goodbye to Padme, Anakin pulled out a crumpled piece of paper he had scribbled while thinking of her. He didn't know why he just didn't throw away the old parchment because it was so unlike him to write down anything remotely inspiring. However, the few written lines he had written were a constant reminder to him as to why he had sought Padme, why he was never able to forget her.

Silently the crumpled paper floated from Anakin's hand onto the glass table in Padme's room as Anakin walked away to join Obi Wan Kenobi.

Padme was exhausted, but happy. She had managed to settle the twins down and tried to gather the courage to face her children's father. She still didn't know what she wanted to tell him nor what she herself expected out of him. As Padme tried to think how best to approach Anakin, she heard loud sounds of ships taking off. Bariss Offee entered, having been left in charge of Padme and the twins as protection, she informed Padme that Anakin and Obi Wan had left. Padme's heart had stopped for a second, a feeling of fear and sadness growing within her heart as she realized that she might never see Anakin again. The enormity of what he was about to do for all of them suddenly hit her as she realized that it was too late to tell him what her heart stubbornly concealed. Hot tears rolled down her face after Bariss left her, almost blurring her vision as she clutched to the edge of the glass desk, her fingers brushing the old wrinkled parchment upon the table. Padme saw her name scribbled on a corner and opened it up, never having seen it before. It was curious to find such a thing since parchments were rare items, especially now in times of war.

Padme read silently as she realized that Anakin had left the note behind for her.

"_My breath was incomplete_," she read, "_heartbeat incomplete, incomplete was I. But now the moon is full, complete in the sky, and now with you complete am I_."

There wasn't anything else he had added nor bothered to say, but she knew full well the meaning behind every word and line for despite her personal fears and doubt, she felt the same as soon as Anakin came back into her life. She ran outside, her eyes scanning the sky. "Anakin!" she cried out, her hand clutching at her heart, hoping that he could feel at that moment what her heart clamored to say.


	13. Confessions

Anakin heard the Jedi's speaking. They all looked at him with a mixture of curiosity and perhaps even distrust. That didn't let him deter him because he wasn't interested in their approval. By nature he was a loner, he never had to answer to anyone save the Emperor and now, he mused, the Jedi seemed to have staked a claim on him, albeit quite reluctantly. Despite this, he understood what must be done. Obi Wan Kenobi cautioned him about his own feelings, especially towards those he was leaving behind. "The Emperor knows of your attachments and he will use that against you," he had said after their initial meeting with Yoda and the surviving Jedi. They were on their way now to find the Emperor and his remaining forces.

"You Jedi and your religion," Anakin retorted. "I know what the Emperor's tricks are. I'm aware that he would stop at nothing to hurt Padme and the children, but you are wrong, just as the Emperor is. You think my attachments are my weakness, but it's those very attachments that will be my strength when facing the Emperor. They are the very reason why I agreed to be here and haven't yet turned away."

Kenobi raised an eyebrow, surprised at how committed Skywalker seemed to be to those he caused the most harm to.

"I know that you still doubt me," Skywalker went on. "Even your little green friend…"

"Forgive me, but calling Master Yoda…"

"I know," interrupted Anakin. "You think it's disrespectful."

"And you don't care," Kenobi finished. "I'm fully aware of the fact that you and Yoda are distrustful of each other, but apart from your sudden redemption, forgive us if the years of torture and carnage you caused have more than stacked up against you."

"You and the Jedi want me dead," Anakin guessed. "Just like the Emperor, you want me to do the dirty work for you and drop upon my own sword as it were so that your own hands are clean of this mess."

Kenobi raised and eyebrow. He and Anakin had been flying through space for quite a time now and have been silent since leaving Naboo until Obi Wan chose to speak. Now he wasn't so sure that was a great idea, however he refused to relent to the younger man.

"As contradictory as it may seem given the present circumstances, the Jedi aren't usually in the business of plotting anyone's death and believe me, your death isn't part of our plan," Kenobi said.

"I wasn't looking for reassurance," Anakin replied.

"I wasn't giving you one," Kenobi added.

Bariss Offee led Dorme into the small living room Padme and the twins were using to spend their days. As soon as Padme saw Dorme, she rushed to hug her friend. Dorme started crying, relieved to see her friend alive.

"We thought you were dead!" she exclaimed as she held Padme close. "When the Jedi informed me that you were well and here I just had to come and see you!"

"I'm glad to see you again," Padme said, sitting besides Dorme. "I know I should have called you, but I fear for the safety of my children," Padme explained.

Dorme's eyes grew wide, a smile breaking across her face as she noticed the twins sleeping close by upon a small crib. "Oh, Padme!" she exclaimed standing up and going over to the children. "Look at how precious they are!"

Padme relaxed a little, having felt a bit apprehensive at her friend's reactions to her children. She was still unsure as to how people would perceive her now, considering who the father of her children was.

She didn't have long to wonder as Dorme breached the subject right away. "There is a rumor," she began, "that Master Kenobi and Skywalker, the stranger everyone talks about, are going to assassinate the Emperor."

"Did Master Yoda tell you this?" Padme asked, knowing full well that she couldn't give away the Jedi's plans, even if it was to her closest friends.

Dorme turned around and faced Padme. "They say that Skywalker and the Dark Lord's Apprentice are one and the same," Dorme added, all the while watching the expression on Padme's face.

"Dorme…" Padme began, but Dorme refused to press her further and held up her hand.

"Forget it," she said, "I have no right to ask, after everything you've gone through."

"No," Padme replied, "You have every right, just as the men and women I've let down under my command."

"Let down?" Dorme asked in shocked. "What are you talking about Padme? It's because of you that this war is almost over!"

"That isn't true," Padme countered. "I've been away from all of you for many months now…"

"Regardless of that," Dorme cut in. "You have always been our leader, even after everything that has happened, the people are behind you now more than ever. Many think that you are dead and have rallied behind your memory. Imagine what will happen once everyone knows that you're alive!"

"They'll hate me!" Padme cried, looking away, trying not to feel the shame burning inside her.

"We could never do that," Dorme said.

Padme gathered what courage she could and faced Dorme. "All that time that I was away," she began. "I just didn't have the strength to tell you, to admit to all of you that I…" Padme stopped, tears threatening to pour down her pale cheeks.

"What is it?" Dorme asked. "Padme, tell me what's torturing you."

Padme took a deep breath before proceeding. "Anakin Skywalker is the father of my children," she confessed. "The same man who this very minute is risking his life to kill the Emperor… his former Master."

Dorme stood, shock showing visibly in her face.

"That day I disappeared and you found me in that place," Padme continued. "He held me there and I… Dorme, I just let him! I couldn't stop him, I just couldn't, I didn't…"

"Padme," her friend held up her hand. "You don't have to explain to me…"

"Yes, I do," Padme insisted. "He came to kill me on the Emperor's orders but he couldn't do it. He couldn't and instead he seduced me and I let him. I didn't even fight."

"Are you in love with him?" Dorme asked.

"Yes," Padme admitted. "I'm crazy, I know, but I've fallen in love with my own enemy and I… Dorme, I don't know how to deal with this. I just know that it broke my heart to see him go and I didn't even have the courage to really face my feelings until he was gone."

"Oh, Padme," Dorme said, clearly at a loss of words at Padme's confession. "Padme, are you sure? Think of everything we've gone through because of the Emperor, because of him!"

Padme knew that confessing to Dorme would be difficult and expected her reaction, albeit it still hurt to see the disappointment in her friends face.

"I know that you may see this as a betrayal of everything we've stood for," Padme said, "I can't justify the turn my life has taken, but if you could of seen… if you only knew what he's done to have the war turn to our favor…"

"It can't erase all those years he helped torment countless worlds and their people!" Dorme reminded her. "Padme, I don't want to judge you…"

"Then don't!" Padme exclaimed. "I'm not going to justify what I did, I can't apologize for it Dorme. I see my children and all I can think about is the way he looked at them when he saw them for the first time. Maybe he can't make up for all the pain he caused, but I won't hate him. Not for the man he is now."

Dorme turned away, consternation clearly showing in her face. She trusted Padme, had trusted her with her own life and hoped that if what she said was true regarding the Dark Lords Apprentice, then perhaps she would give them both the benefit of the doubt.

"Padme, I can't presume to know how you feel," Dorme began, trying to choose her words carefully. "You do realize that if Darth Vader, or Anakin manages to get rid of the Emperor, even then it will take a considerable effort on his part to change people's opinion of him. What are you going to do?" Dorme turned to face her friend, a part of her still not sure about the present situation.

"For now I need to take care of my children," Padme said. "However, there is a battle the Jedi tell me still continues in our airspace. One of the last few the Emperor has launched against us."

"If Master Kenobi," Dorme added "and… Anakin can stop the Emperor, then this will be the last battle our people will face. Victory is nearly ours."

Padme noticed Dorme's struggle with pronouncing Anakin's name. She knew that for a lot of people, they wouldn't be able to separate Anakin from the person he had been. She couldn't however, bring herself to hate him, not when she saw him through her own children. "Have you contacted Captain Typho?" Padme suddenly asked. "Orfee said he had information that could still favor the Emperor."

"Such as what?" Dorme asked feeling encouraged at Padme's sudden change into the woman she had known.

"He had information regarding the Emperor's latest ship," Padme said. "I think she mentioned a weapon he had, only the Jedi believed it to be a rumor. He was supposed to come back with information to verify the rumor."

"Padme," Dorme interrupted. "We haven't heard anything from Captain Typho for days now. I think he's dead."

"Not dead," the voice of Offee said behind them. "Sorry for the interruption, but Master Yoda has called me to take you to him. Both of you. There's something you have to know."

"What is it?" Padme asked, suddenly alarmed. Her heart gave a lurch. _Was it Anakin and Master Kenobi?_ She wondered.

" It's the Emperor," Offee replied. "The war may be far from over."


End file.
